What I never told you
by turtle-nerd12
Summary: Four boys disguise their pain behind a smile, anger, shyness and seriousness. They never tell anyone. Now a series of events will push these boys to their limits. Will they be able to break free or will everything come crashing down around them? Human AU
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone, welcome to my new fanfic and happy new year!**

 **This is a Human AU but the characters are based on the 2012 series.**

 **I do not own TMNT abut this AU is my idea.**

 _ **WARNING- IMPLIES SUICIDE AT THE END and I will give another warning just before that section.**_

* * *

What I never told you

Prologue

A small boy looked through half closed eyes. Orange flames creep closer and closer to his exposed face. His chest rattled with every breath he tried to take. Deep coughs escaped out of weak lungs as his precious oxygen was devoured by the growing flames. He could only hear the annoying ringing in his ears. His small body rolled on to his side, heat seeping through his dark blue pyjamas as the right side of his face exploded in pain again.

A pair of blurry boots moved into his limited view. Hands lifted his light form off the tatami floor, a blue blanket securely held in a loose fist. The boys stomach met a broad shoulder, sight obscured by black material and his limbs tiredly dangled from his body.

The cool night air felt like being dumped in an ice bath against his boiling skin. His exhausted body was too weak to stop the uninvited shivers from taking over his small form. Several pairs of hands took a hold of his limp body and gently laid him on a padded bed. A strap was slipped over his throbbing head, a chilled mist filling his burning lungs. A strong hand lightly rubbed his sweaty forehead, faint trembles travelled through those fingers. Familiar heroic eyes stared down at him but the gleam they had acquired made them look foreign and strange.

Brisk air stung his chest after his pyjamas top was ripped open. The young boy tensed up when a freezing piece of metal was pressed against his struggling chest. It moved across his skin, stopping in certain area before disappearing. Something small but tight was attached to his index finger, lightly pinching his singed skin.

A breeze blew as he stated to be wheeled away. More blurry figures crowded around the scared child. Their out of focus heads hid the tranquil night sky he so dearly wished he could see. Darkness was quickly replaced by blinding white light. The child could feel his eyelids struggling to stay open and they slowly slipping closed. A delicate kiss was placed on his sweaty forehead while someone squeezed his hand. He knew those lips and that hand. With a brief squeeze to the hand of the man who had raised him for his 6 years of life, the child finally allowed his eyes to close and slipped into the darkness.

* * *

The humiliation rolled off him like raindrops. Echoes of a voice mocking what he loved most of all, mocking how he sounded, mocking his whole life. His light brown bags dripped with the juice that had been dumped on his head as a joke among friends. Except it wasn't funny for him.

Shivers ran through his thin body from the ice-cold liquid that seeped through his purple shirt and from crying so much. Tears dripped off his reddened face and onto the dusty floor.

The little boy had found a small space tucked away at the back of his elementary school where nobody went. It was compact, dark and isolated, everything the 7-year-old likes when he is composing himself. The darkness keeps him hidden from the ones who wish him harm while the limited space and unknown location keeps anyone from disturbing him in this time of weakness. Other than the boys muffled sobs, the only other sound was the distant dripping from a faulty pipe that ran overhead.

The sound of a bell caught the boy's ears. End of the day. Due to the incident happening during the lunch break, the child had been far too humiliated to go back to class. He knew his teacher wouldn't care. Same with his classmates. They never asked him about his absence or disappearance, only to get lost when he is there. Their exact words were, "Get lost nerd, we don't want a selfish smarty-pants like you anywhere near us!"

Now he doesn't even try to join anyone's friend groups.

But somehow, they still find away to harass him.

Breathing out through shaking lip and wiping way the last of his tears, the skinny child crawled out of his hiding spot. Not a single glance (which his was glad for) as he mixed in with the crowd of children as they rushed out to find their parents to excitedly tell them about the wonderful day they had.

The young boy could not see his anywhere.

Even after the crowd had disintegrated, his parents were still not there.

* * *

A lone boy sat waiting in a dark house, the lights long gone. Once a full fridge with luxurious berries and glamorous meats, now a fridge full of mould, filth and dead flies. Small footprints or hand prints disrupting the thin coatings of dust that rested on the rotting wooden floorboards and along the tatty furniture.

The 8-year-old boy sat leaning against the green, moth-eaten couch. His emerald green eyes mentally burning holes through the locked front door, not breaking his glare for a second, even when a spider ran across his bare foot. Small dust particles from the air landed on his still form but he didn't care. In fact, he believed that it finished of his look of ripped jeans, ragged red t-shirt and worn-out trainers that he had removed due to them hurting his feet.

Today marked the 1-month anniversary of the boys extended freedom. The front and back doors were completely locked shut as well as all the windows. At least he could now leave his bedroom without getting punished.

1 month since he last saw _them._

1 month since _they_ went to 'visit a friend'.

1 month since _they_ abandoned him.

1 month is too long for it to be a coincidence, surly if _they_ had died then a police officer would have come to collect him, right? Maybe this was better, he didn't have to stay in one room, he could be as loud as he liked, no one could tell him what he could do or couldn't do. However, without any food left he would surly perish in a few days.

A large bang echoed through the silence. The front door vibrated like something had just ran into it. A second bang, and a third. The wood held strong against its opponent on the other side.

 _Crash!_

The door gave way.

* * *

 _ **WARNING THIS SECTION IMPLIES** **SUICIDE**_

"Mummy, mum!" A boy with wavy blonde hair shouted as he ran around his home, "Mum!"

The boy's mother hadn't shown up to greet him when he returned home from school. That was an hour ago. He originally thought that she was just busy, but she still hadn't shown up or been heard from. The short 9-year-old checked every room in the house, all of them had the same result: empty.

"Mummy?" Fear was clearly showing. His mother had never vanished for this long before and that scared him, "Mum?"

The child wiped at his watery eyes, he wasn't going to cry, he was going to be brave, after all she could be perfectly fine. Taking a deep breath, he started his trek up the flight of stairs that lead to the roof.

The door to the roof was left slightly ajar which caused a breeze to whip the boy's blond hair. The evening sun broke through fluffy white clouds. Baby blue eyes spotted the silhouette of a woman standing near the edge of the rooftop. Something was grasped in her hand, but the bright sun made it impossible to figure out what it was.

"Mummy!" The child ran forward to hug his mother but stopped dead before he reached her. Tears streaks that ran out of red puffy eyes shimmered in the sunlight.

Her voice was raspy and barely audible when she spoke, "I love you baby, always remember that..."

"Mum? MUMMY!"

 _Bang!_


	2. Chapter 2

What I never told you

New home, new friends

An aeroplane rolled along the runway, slowly coming to a stop so that the passengers could climb out. Among them was a Japanese man and his teenage son. The two of them walked through the cramped corridors and passed through security with ease before they collected their luggage. The teenager pulled his suitcase behind him with little effort, trying to stay as close to his father as possible so that they didn't get separated. They walked in silence until they made it outside.

The early morning sky was pitch black with no sign of daylight. The polluted air of New York caused the teen to cough softly into his arm. "Are you alright Leonardo?" The man standing next to him asked.

"I'm fine father." Leonardo replied without hesitation. The teen fastened up his black coat and pulled up the hood. A stray strand of his jet-black hair was pushed in front of his eyes so he simply tucked it into the side of his hood.

Soon a yellow taxi turned up and after placing their luggage into the trunk, the two of them climbed into the back. Leo pulled a hardback book out of his messenger bag he had brought as hand luggage. All the text in the book was written in Japanese kanji and it was one of the teens most favourite books.

"You brought your mothers story book? I thought you left that back in Japan." The older man asked, a genuine surprised look on his face.

Leonardo didn't take his eyes away from the kanji in the book, "Its mothers book, how could I leave it behind. She loved reading it to me..." Leo mumbled to his father, trying to twist around in his seat so that his back was facing the man.

"Almost there you two." The bulky taxi driver announced from the front, "And if you don't mind me asking but what brings you two to this part of the city?"

"We are moving here from Japan. We both need a change of scenery from what happened 9 years ago, right my son?" The man turned to look at his son but the boy ignored his question. The man sighed and turned to look out the front window. "It has been difficult for both of us. I just hope that this move will bring back the boy I used to know."

A pair of forest green eyes glanced up in the rear-view mirror, "I hope it does sir." The driver said with a gruff but caring accent.

"Please just call me Yoshi."

The driver grinned, "Well Yoshi, I believe this is your stop. I wish you luck, New York can be dangerous if you end up in the wrong place."

"Thank you for your concern but we should be able to handle it." Yoshi handed the driver the cash he had counted out while Leo slid out the back and collected their suitcases. "Have a good day sir." The ninja master stood next to the quiet teen on the cold pavement.

Before the taxi took off, the window rolled down so that the driver could shout out, "And its Rocco."

The now interested teen raised an eyebrow at his father, "What was that about?"

Yoshi took one of the suitcases that his son was holding and with his free hand, he wrapped it around Leonardo's shoulders, "I had a nice conversation with him on our way here. Did you not hear us?"

Sapphire eyes looked down, "I was too busy reading and I didn't want to intrude on your conversation." What Yoshi didn't realise was that his son hadn't actually been reading, he had been in thought the whole journey. Leo knew that if he told his father that he would get suspicious and worried, so Leo covered it up by pretending to read.

"You really do like to read." Yoshi started to walk down the street to a rather large apartment building. "Come my son, let's go see our new home." Yoshi still held Leo in a one arm embrace so he steered Leonardo up the front steps and in through the front door.

The floor was covered in a patterned carpet made up of brown, pink and green entwined lines. The walls were a stark white with a huge painting of a cherry blossom tree hanging on the far wall. A long mahogany desk went along one side of the room while small mahogany coffee tables and green armchairs rested on the other side.

Leo gently removed himself from the embrace and ambled down the room, observing every small detail with curiosity. The painting that ran from ceiling to floor caught the boy's attention. His eyes were drawn to the elegant strokes that made up the artwork. The image of the cherry blossom tree reminded him of his birthplace and all the valuable memories that had been created there. But it also reminded him of that night 9 years ago. The night... Leo shook his head to stop himself from thinking about those times.

Yoshi was already in the elevator when his son jogged in after him with his own suitcase rolling behind him. "I deliberately chose this apartment because of the Japanese vibes I felt in the lobby and I believe you felt it to my son." The Japanese man pressed the button for the 5th floor.

The elevator ride was slow and calming. Music played quietly out of the elevator speakers, nothing more than a straightforward tune. Metal doors slide sideways to reveal a corridor in the same style as the lobby with white walls and a patterned carpet. The two tiptoed down the corridor so that they didn't wake up any of the other residence in the early hours of the morning. It wasn't hard seeing that both were either highly trained or master ninja.

The door they stopped at looked like all the other doors that they passed- glazed oak. Hamato Yoshi unlocked the door and lightly pushed it open. He then entered their new home. Leonardo faltered outside the door before he forced himself to walk in, keeping his eyes on the carpet instead of viewing the small apartment.

The front door leads directly into the main room which contained an olive-green corner sofa with a round coffee table in front of it. There was also a flat screen TV attached to the wall that the sofa faced. On the left side of the room was a kitchenette plus a tiny island (just big enough for 2 people to sit at) that would be used to eat at. Three white doors were dotted around the room. The one nearest to the TV lead to the pristine bathroom, the other two leads to the new bedrooms. Neither of the bedrooms contained any more than a bed, a desk, a chair, a chest of draws and a few cabinets.

Leo chose the middle room to dump his luggage, declaring it as his bedroom. The first thing he unpacked was a blue baby blanket that had been in his messenger bag. Sewn in the centre was a yellow duck wearing a blue gingham hat. It was spread out on top of the pearl white duvet, it didn't completely cover the bed, but it covered enough of it. The second item he took out was the book he had been reading in the taxi and that was placed on the wooden desk. Other than the leftover snacks from the journey and his devises, the last item Leo pulled out was a small, framed photograph. Without looking at the photo, Leo laid it face down on the desk.

In his own room, Yoshi was unpacking his own bags. He had begun by neatly folding and stacking his clothes and putting them in his new drawers or hanging them up in his wardrobe. He hadn't been able to sleep on the plane, so he felt quite tired. However, thanks to his ninja training and often working late, he was used to the tiredness. Yoshi glanced at his wristwatch, noticing that it was 5 past 4 in the morning. Deciding to leave it for the night so that he could get some sleep, even if he only got an hour or two.

Leaving his new bedroom, the father made his way to the neighbouring room and gently knocked on the door, "Leonardo, may I please come in?"

It took a few seconds for a voice to reply from the other side of the door, "Sure father." Yoshi pushed the door open and found his son sitting on his bed already clothed in pjs. "Is everything ok father? I was going to try and get some sleep before it got too late."

"Everything is fine my son. I was actually going to get some sleep myself and thought you should to, but I see you have already decided to." Yoshi took the moment to study what Leo had done to the room. The blanket on the bed and the two items on the desk were the only differences he could see, "Why is the family photograph laying down?" He already knew the answer as Leonardo stuffed himself into the corner, "You cannot run from reality my son. What is done is done, you cannot change that. Anata wa sudeni yatta koto o motonimodosu koto wa dekimasen."

Leo didn't reply, he just pulled his knees into his chest and buried his face in his knees, a clear sign that he didn't want to talk about it. The Japanese man placed his hand on his sons shaking shoulder. Sapphire eyes flicked up to look at Yoshi. "Go to sleep Leonardo." Leo nodded and with his father's guidance, laid down in bed. Yoshi covered up the teenager while Leo drifted off to sleep. Yoshi leant forward and whispered into Leos ear, "Watashi wa anata no musuko ga daisuki."

* * *

Leo awoke to mellow sunbeams shining through his closed window. He covered his mouth as he yawned before waking up his body by stretching. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, the raven-haired boy shook his legs to get the muscles working.

The door swung open as Leo drowsily wondered out of his bedroom, his messy black hair sticking out in all directions. A familiar smell of miso soup hovered around the kitchen area. Heat from the stove warmed the air in the small apartment, putting Leo into a relaxed daze.

"Good morning my son. Would you like some miso soup?" Yoshi asked while he served the cooked soup into two of the bowls that he had found in one of the cupboards.

Leo plonked down on one of the stalls around the island, "Yes please." A bowl was placed in front of him, "Arigatōgozaimashita."

As Leo ate, the pleasant heat from the food warmed his chilly insides. All the cold from the winter air that he had been forced to travel through last night instantly vanished with one sip of his father's soup. The delicious soup felt like a party that was trapped in his mouth.

"Hey father, where did you get the food from?" Leo asked after he ate some more soup.

"While you were sleeping I thought I would search the building and meet some of our new neighbours." Yoshi scooped up some of his own soup and sipped it off the spoon, "A widowed, elderly woman lives in the apartment across from us and she was kind enough to let us have some of her food." A smile spread across Yoshi's face, "She is also going to come over with her grandson soon, so I recommend you get yourself ready my son. You look a mess." Immediately, Leo slurped the last of his breakfast down, jumped off his stall- practically dropped his bowl in the sink- and shot into his room, the door slamming shut behind him.

In his room, Leo speedily undressed out of his night clothes. Stumbling on his own two feet, Leo pulled on a pair of dark blue jeans before plucking a white, short-sleeved t-shirt out of his unpacked suitcase. On the front of the t-shirt was the logo for the teens favourite tv show: Space Heroes. He pulled it on before grabbing a comb to brush his bed hair, paying extra special attention to making sure his bags swayed in the correct direction.

Seconds after Leo had finished preparing himself and exited his room, there was a knock at the apartments door. Yoshi politely let in the senior lady and a short teenager with long blond hair that ended just past his chin. The woman was escorted to the sofa by Yoshi and her grandson who made sure she was comfy before he skipped over to Leo with the biggest grin the Japanese boy had ever seen.

"Hi! I'm Michelangelo but you can call me Mikey and that's my grandma." The hyper teen pointed to the woman on the sofa, "She's really sweet and loves to spoil me! Oh, oh, oh! You should ask her to sing for you, she may be old and wrinkly, but granny Jo is an _awesome_ singer!" Leonardo had to lean back to prevent Mikey from getting too close to his face.

"Calm down Michelangelo. I don't think Leonardo appreciates you getting so close to him." The elderly woman turned in her seat to look at the two teens chatting behind the sofa. She gave Mikey a gentle but stern glare in warning, "You can call me Joan or Jo, I don't mind which."

Leo walked around so that Joan didn't have to twist around. Keeping his legs together and arms pinned to his sides, Leo bowed at the waist, "It is an honour to meet you Jo-san."

"And it is an honour to meet you to Leonardo." Joan did her own miniature bow where she sat.

"Leonardo, why don't you and Michelangelo head out, Joan has just been telling me that her grandson has been dying to show you around since he found out another teenager was moving in." Yoshi casted a sideways glance at the elderly woman.

"Yes, can we Leo? Please?" Mikey clung onto Leo's arm, staring up at him with large, baby blue eyes, " _Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?_ " Leo helplessly looked towards Joan for any assistance, but she just gave Leo an amused, apologetic smile.

"Fine." As soon as the word left Leo's mouth, an excited Mikey dragged a reluctant Leo out of the apartment. Leo barely had time to grab his coat and slip on his shoes before he was forced to leave his new home. Mikey released Leos arm when they made it into the elevator, giving Leo enough time to tie his laces and properly put his coat on.

 _Ding_

Before the metal doors had fully opened, Mikey had already seized Leos wrist, raced out of the elevator and vaulted down the few steps that lead outside. Mikey towed Leo around several corners and down several streets until they got to a small clearing with a set of swings and a roundabout. Mikey made a sudden stop just in front of the swings which forced Leo to make an unexpected halt. Due to the freezing weather, Leo happened to stop on an icy patch that caused him to skid into the blond teen.

"Welcome to the hangout!" Mikey threw his arms up in the air as he spun round to face the Japanese boy, "My friends and I always come here to hangout after school. It's much more fun when there's less ice around because then we can chase each other without slipping but it is funny when someone falls on their butt."

Mikey sat on one of the plastic swings, gently swinging back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth. Leo followed Mikey's example and perched on the other swing. However, Leo opted to stare up at the cloudy sky instead of swinging like Mikey.

Gradually Mikey's swing came to a standstill as he spotted his new friend lost in thought, "Hey dude..." Mikey reached across the short gap between the two occupied swings, "Leo..." A hand waved inches from Leos face.

Sapphire eyes rapidly blinked at the blur that appeared out of nowhere. Leo shifted his gaze over to the concerned teen.

"Dude are you ok? You sort of blanked out like granny does when she's thinking about grandpa..." Mikey's baby blue eyes looked down at the gravel, twisting his body to face forward again before adding in a barely audible whisper, "or mom..."

Seeing the hurt and sadness that flashed across Mikey's face, Leo chose not to ask about it. After all, he felt the same way when he was thinking about his own mother, "You know back in Japan, grandfather and father taught me ninjutsu. I can show you some moves if you want."

Mikey's face lit up at the reveal of his new friend being a ninja, "Really?!" Mikey half shouted as he jumped to his feet, "That's soooooooo awesome!"

Once again, Mikey seized Leos arm, forcefully dragging him off the swing. The area was fairly open so the two didn't have to worry about finding a big enough space to perform the moves. The first move Leo demonstrated was a roundhouse kick. He twisted on the ball of his foot, extending his right leg in a fast yet fluent kick which would have made contact with Mikey's head if he had been standing any closer. Mikey's baby blue eyes widen even more as he watched in awe as the ninja in training brought his leg back down.

"Wooooooo... Can I have a try?" Mikey asked, bouncing closer to the other boy.

"Sure, just follow my lead." Leo replied. Step by step Leo instructed Mikey what to do. Surprisingly, Mikey ended up being a natural and could perform a perfect roundhouse kick within a few minutes. Leo then went on to teach Mikey how to do one of the kata he has been doing for years, and once again, Mikey was able to do it flawlessly, even deciding to add an impressive one-handed cartwheel at the end.

"I'm impressed Mikey!" Leo announced after Mikey completed the kata for the fifth time in a row, "Are you sure you haven't done this before?"

"Nope, never done any fighting dude. I did gymnastics and hip-hop dance classes when I was little but not any fighting." Mikey explained, "Mom always told me that I had too much energy, that's why she made me start hip hop classes. I was also really flexible and loved to tumble so I convinced mom to let me do gymnastics as well."

The blond hair teen kept his signature gigantic smile on his face the whole time but the minor quiver at the edges of his mouth, avoiding eye contact and the slight shine in Mikey's eyes told Leo a different story. It must have had something to do with Mikey's mother because so far, every time he has mentioned anything to do with her, he has gotten that sad look in his eyes. Leo thought about this and how he felt similar when he thought about his own mother. Of course, Leo was not going to pour his heart out to a kid he met only an hour ago.

A cold white ball suddenly flew through the air and hit Leo in the face, "HEY!" He shouted as he spun on his heel to face his attacker. Normally, Leo was excellent at avoiding flying objects as a result of his ninja training. He may have not been able to avoid the first one, but the ninja did manage to dodge the second snowball. Evading a third attack, Leo playfully called out to Mikey, "You can't beat a ninja with snowballs Mikey."

"Not trying to dude." Mikey stuck his tongue out and blew a large raspberry at Leo. The ninja in training lunged at Mikey who backflipped out of arms reach before dashing away, causing Leo to give chase.

The two teens chased each other around the park, occasionally slipping on an icy patch that appeared out of nowhere. Mikey ended up having amazing speed and with his hyper activeness, he seemed to be everywhere at once. However, after being trained in ninjutsu for over a decade and with people older and more advance than him, Leo was able to predict Mikey's next move and pin him against the snow covered ground.

The smaller teen struggled to break free from the tight grip on his arms. It wasn't a painfully grip but it did cause his arms to ache slightly at being stuck in that position, even thou he was only in that position for a few seconds. Not having any other ideas, Mikey said the first thing that came to mind, "Ok, ok, I surrender." Mikey kicked his legs, but Leo was out of reach, "Let me go or I'll tell your mom and dad that you were picking on me."

Mikey could not see Leo's face, but he felt the hands that held him stiffen up before they disappeared along with the weight on his back. Glad that he was free, Mikey rolled onto his back. His long, lime coloured coat covered with tiny specs of white snow that had recently started to fall from the grey sky.

"Come on let's go home."

Mikey lifted his head to see Leo walking away down the street, his shoulders slightly hunched and his head hanging. The blond teen sat up in shock. Him and Leo were having such a great time. They had both been smiling and laughing and having fun. _Lots_ of fun. Leo had let Mikey, well... be Mikey and Mikey loved that. Unfortunately, he had to go and muck it up just as they were getting to the fun. Mikey knew that it was a risky move, but he said it anyway and now Leo probably hates him. _Nice job Michelangelo, nice job._

"Are you coming?" Leo's head popped out from behind one of the stone walls that made up New York, "I've been here for less than 24 hours, I don't know the way home yet so would you get up already." Leo commanded. Unlike earlier, Leo's voice was now sharp and serious, leaving no room for Mikey to argue.

Not caring about the ice or the gradually rising snow, Mikey jumped to his feet and jogged over to the serious teen, "Look Leo, I'm really sorry. Really, really, _really_ sorry for what I did wrong. I was only joking when I said I would tell your parents. I thought you could take the joke but I'm sorry for not thinking it through properly and saying it anyway." Mikey couldn't keep his eyes on the slightly older teen who was walking a few steps in front of him, "I'm sorry Leo, I really am."

Hearing a small sniffle from the boy behind him, Leo stopped in his tracks and gazed at Mikey. The boy appeared smaller and younger with his head low, rosy cheeks and arms folded. Feeling sorry for Mikey, and knowing that he caused this, Leo wrapped an arm around Mikey's shivering shoulders. "Don't worry about it Mikey, I forgive you."

Baby blue eyes snapped up to meet Leo's serious sapphire eyes, "Really?" Mikey whispered hopefully.

"Really." Leo confirmed, "I just don't want to talk about it ok? Amarini mo itai."

Happily, Mikey nodded his head, "That's fine dude, now let's get home so that you can hear nanny Jo sing. Did I mention how awesome she is at singing, especially for her age?"

"Yes." Leonardo walked a few paces behind Mikey as the blond lead the way back to the apartments, "It was one of the first things you told me when we met."

* * *

 **Translations:**

 **Anata wa sudeni yatta koto o motonimodosu koto wa dekimasen- You cannot undo what has already been done**

 **Watashi wa anata no musuko ga daisuki- I love you my son**

 **Arigatōgozaimashita- Thank you**

 **Amarini mo itai- It's too painful**


	3. Chapter 3

**I have finished my GCSEs and I am now on my summer holidays so hopefully I will be able to update sooner.**

 **I do not own TMNT, only the OCs.**

* * *

What I never told you

Snow and Ice

Leo and Mikey arrived back at the Hamato's apartment with rosy cheeks and pink noses. The snow that had covered their clothing had melted on their walk home and now their jeans, coats and shoes were completely soaked. Leo opened the front door, but Mikey was the first one to enter.

"We're baaaaaaack!" Mikey sang as he pulled off his soaking green coat.

"We heard you running down the hall Michelangelo." Yoshi calmly said as he took Michelangelo's coat and hung it on one of the coat hooks, "You have very loud feet."

While Michelangelo excitedly told Joan and Yoshi about their trip to the park, Leo silently slipped into his bedroom. Once inside, he stripped off his soggy socks and jeans, putting on some dry ones. He had just finished tightening his belt when there were several fast knocks at the door.

"Come in." Leo loudly said to the person on the other side of the door who turned out to be Mikey. The smiling teen was now barefoot, obviously having removed his soaked socks and shoes as well, "Everything okay Mikey?"

"I'm cool dude, just a little bit chilly." Mikey kept his signature smile on his face as he spoke, "Nanny Jo said we should leave you so that you could finish unpacking."

Leo raised an eyebrow, wondering if there was a reason for Mikey to tell him this, "So...?"

"So as soon as you finish unpack can we please hangout some more? Please?" Mikey tried not to get in Leo's face like he did earlier, but the Japanese boy did have to take a tiny step back, "You're the only other male teen in this _entire_ building!"

"I don't know Mikey." Leo perched on the edge of his bed, "I think I need some time to myself to settle in to America."

"Oh, ok dude." Mikey looked like a kicked puppy before he looked over at Leo and gave a small sad smile, "Have fun unpacking and you know where to find me if you change your mind."

Mikey was amazed as he watched Leo keep a neutral face and didn't even blink as Mikey sent him an exaggerated salute. Yanking the door closed behind him, Mikey sauntered over to the two grown-ups. He understood that his new friend still needed some time to settle in, but Mikey was just too excited to not ask Leo to hang out.

"Bye-bye Yoshi! Thanks for letting us visit." The young teen chimed, giving the ninja master a tight hug, "It was fun!" Mikey felt an arm wrap around his shoulders and a gentle hand rest on his head. Leaning back slightly, he tilted his head up to see the Japanese man smiling down at him. Mikey returned the smile with a meagre chuckle.

Reluctantly Mikey left the Hamato's apartment and silently shambled across the short distance to get to his own apartment. With every step he took, the soft carpet tickled the bare soles of his feet. He kept his eyes up as he wondered into his bedroom. Due to his grandma only renting the apartment, they hadn't been able to change the teens room all that much, so it was similar to Leonardo's room but with hundreds of superhero poster on the walls and much more furniture.

Mikey dragged a wooden case out from underneath his bed. He undid the latches that held the lid securely in place, gently opening the case. Inside were rows of colourful pencils with a few sketching pencils on the last row, an A4 sketchpad resting on top. Mikey flipped open the sketchpad and found a clean page. Placing the paper on the ground, Mikey lowered himself so that he was lying on his stomach. He used one of the special sketch pencils and started drawing the outline of his picture.

* * *

A smartly dressed male walked down the street. He pulled down the front of his brown fedora to reassure himself that it concealed his identity along with the reflective sunglasses that covered his eyes. He kept one arm firmly around the laptop bag, the strap over his shoulder. His other arm just rested at his side.

An older man with greying blond hair stepped in front of the male. He stood tall, bold and emotionless. His own black sunglasses hiding the man's cold, hard eyes, "You know you are not allowed out here young master!" His words were sharp as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I... I just wanted to see the revealing of the new robotics laboratories." The young male whispered.

"Your father gave me very strict orders to keep you at home." The man grabbed the young male's arm and began leading him towards a parked SUV, "Your father had high expectations for you young man."

"But Mr Lancaster...?" He stopped his protest mid-sentence deciding that his bodyguard was much more intimidating than him. The young male was tall for his age, but Klay Lancaster was still much taller than him which didn't help his situation. The young male sighed and climbed into the back of the car as Lancaster held the door open for him.

* * *

It had taken an hour, but Mikey had finally completed his master piece. He rolled over onto his back and raised the sketchpad above his face. Locking his arms, Mikey admired his drawing. It was a simple sketch of Leo and him wearing ninja garments and different colour masks. Mikey had coloured his own mask orange because it was his favourite colour and according to nanny Jo, it matched his enthusiasm, happiness and creativity. Leo's mask was blue because from what Mikey had seen today, the Japanese boy was very loyal and a little serious.

Tucking the sketchpad close to his chest, Mikey used his abdominal muscles to roll backwards onto his feet. With a skip in his step, the blond-haired teen delicately tore the page from the sketch pad and stuck it on the wall with a lump of blue tack.

Having left his art supplies spread out across his bedroom floor, Mikey knelt and gathered up his precious supplies. Arranging the pencils based on their colour, Mikey placed them in the wooden box before sealing it up and sliding it back under his bed.

A calm voice drifted through the apartment, "Mikey dear, would you like some lunch?"

The young teen dashed from his room into the main room. Already set up on the table was a plate full of cheese sandwiches with a packed of cheese and onion chips. His grandmother had also prepared him a nice glass of water.

"No pizza?" Mikey wined, giving his grandma large, sad puppy dog eyes.

"You cannot live off of pizza my grandson." Joan explained, ruffling Mikey's blond waves, "I promised your mother that I would take care of you which does _not_ include a diet of only pizza."

"Ahhhh..." Mikey sagged his shoulders but still gobbled down his sandwiches, using the water to wash it down. The chips crunched as he devoured down the last of his delicious meal.

Mikey spun around when someone started snickering behind him.

"You still have your mother's appetite Michelangelo." Joan stated, "She used to eat so quickly that she would complain about having to wait for the rest of us to finish." The grandmother snickered again, "Poor girl had an endless stomach, always eating but never full."

"You're always telling me that granny Jo."

"That's because it is true my junior jelly bean." Joan replied, giving Mikey a quick peck on his head, "Now if you don't mind I need you to pop over to the store and buy some more groceries. I gave half of ours to the Hamato's earlier."

"No problemo!" The bouncing teen took the shopping list that his grandmother gave him and with a speedy hug, Mikey jaunted out of the apartment, slipping on his now dry trainers before he left. Choosing a different route, he jogged down the stairs and out into the white world.

* * *

Without a sound, the young male sat in the back of the SUV, staring out through the tinted windows. He wouldn't admit it out load but as he watched a little girl running in to –who the male believed- her father's arms, he felt envious of her. It wasn't like he didn't want that child to be loved and cared for. He just wished his own childhood was as gleeful as hers seems to be.

"Are you going to tell my father about this?" The young male asked, averting his eyes from the scene outside the car.

"It is my duty to young master. My top priority is your safety and that stunt of yours could have put you in serious danger. Just imagine if someone figured out who you are, they wouldn't hesitate to kidnap you for a large sum of money."

"Like father would pay a ransom." The male mumbled under his breath, pulling out his phone from his laptop bag. The small screen lit up as he pressed the button just below the screen. The young male smiled at his background image, it was a photograph of him when he was a toddler. His father was holding his hands as he assisted the toddler to take those first few unstable steps. The older man had a genuine simile on his face that his son missed. The young male ran a finger over his father's face as the screen faded to black.

His father hadn't always been so distant but after the divorce, he focused too much on his work and forgot about raising his only child. Then when his business skyrocketed, his son rarely saw him and when the father met with his son it was usually to punish him or to express his disappointment.

"Mr Carpenter is a billionaire, he wouldn't mind giving up a few thousand dollars to get his son back." Mr Lancaster stated, keeping his eyes locked on the road.

"But-"

"No buts young master, I've said this many times and will continue to do so: your father does love you, he's just heartbroken over the divorce and death of your mother." The car slowed down as the gap between them and the car in front shrunk. The young male opened his mouth to protest but Mr Lancaster lifted his hand to silence him before he could, "Do not argue with me young one."

"She died years ago. Why is he still heartbroken? He should have gotten over it by now." The young male questioned, anger edging its way into his voice, " _I_ have!"

"But _you_ were a baby, _you_ don't even remember your mother." Lancaster remarked, "Your _father_ does, and he still loves her."

The young male hung his head feeling ashamed at his outburst. He'd heard stories about his mother from his father, so he had a basic idea of what she was like. But his bodyguard was right, he had no proper memories of his mother unlike his father who had married, cared and fell in love with her. The young male couldn't recall what her motherly hugs felt like or what her voice sounded like. Closing his eyes and taking deep, calming breathes, the young male let the song on the radio wash all his negativity out of him.

The tranquil atmosphere was soon destroyed by the screeching of brakes and rubber skidding across the tarmac. He lifted his head and gasped as the world outside spun. He had to turn away so that he wouldn't get dizzy. The scared male braced himself for the impact he predicted would come.

* * *

Skipping down the snowy street, Mikey plugged his paint splattered headphones into his phone and positioned the ear pads over his ears. Removing one of his gloves, Mikey scrolled through his playlist until he found his desired song. Making sure that the volume was turned up, he pressed play and pocketed his smartphone before putting his glove back on.

Michelangelo danced through the crowds of people while doing a mixture of humming and singing. He elegantly weaved around the people and objects along the path without missing a beat of his song. While passing a lamppost, Mikey grabbed it and let the momentum swing him round. He felt the frosty wind against his exposed face, but he didn't care, he was too cheerful about it being such a lovely day.

The sky had cleared, and the snow was twinkling in the afternoon sun, creating a stunning view of the city. Making out the front of the grocery store on the other side of the road, Mikey looked up and down the road to make sure there were no vehicles heading in his direction. When he didn't spot anything approaching, he skipped across the road.

However, when he was about half way across, he got a bad feeling. That was when he heard a car braking. A car braking really, _really_ close by. Unsure of what to do, Mikey just stood there like an idiot.

Suddenly, Mikey found himself lying on the snowy pavement and a heavy lump on his back. He lifted his head to see a black car spinning until the side slammed into a lamppost. Almost immediately after the impact, a man in a black suit jumped out the driver's seat and forced the undamaged back door open. Mikey was unable to see what happened next as the crowd gathered around the car, making sure the occupants were ok.

Letting out a groan, Mikey sat up and removed the headphones that were still playing music. Using his dominant right hand, Mikey paused the song on his phone before he pocketed it again. He kept his throbbing left wrist close to his chest.

"Ya alright kid?" An emerald eyed teenager with a Brooklyn accent was perched on the curb near where Mikey landed.

"My wrist hurts and the scrapes on my arms are stinging but other than that I am fine." I told the stranger, "What happened?"

"Ya walked out in da road when a car came. Ya didn' 'ear it because of ya stupid music!" The teenager responded, his voice growing louder with each word, "Let me look at dat wrist." He gently grasped Mikey's injured wrist. He felt it in a few places before he accidently hit a painful spot.

"OW!" Mikey pulled his arm back and cradled his wrist to his chest.

"Sorry." The stranger stood and turned to leave, "Its jus' a sprain. Jus' put some ice on it." Without even looking back, the stranger who saved Mikey's life vanished into the crowd of concerned citizens.

Ignoring the ache in his body, Mikey heaved himself on to wobbly legs. One of the paramedics that had turned up on the accident scene went to Mikey's side and guided him into the back of the ambulance. Mikey told the paramedic and police officer what he happened and after a quick lecture from the officer on safely crossing the road, he left the paramedic to assess Michelangelo's wounds.

"Your so-called hero was correct. Other than scrapes and bruises, you have a sprained wrist." The friendly paramedic reported, "However, I would like to take you in for an x-ray to make sure that it isn't broken. Is that alright?"

"Yer." Mikey fiddled with the new hole in his jeans that had been caused from skidding across the tarmac, "Can I call my grandma to meet me there. I was going to get her some groceries when all this happened."

The paramedic nodded, "I also recommend that you call your parents as well, they'll want to know what happened before they watch it on the news."

"THE NEWS!" Mikey braced his arms on the gurney (forgetting about his injured wrist) ready to leap to his feet, "WHO DIED!"

"Calm down!" The paramedic ordered, lightly pushing Mikey back onto the gurney, "No one died."

Mikey let out a breath he hadn't realised he was holding, "Then why will it be in the news? It didn't look that bad!" He winced as lightning pain shot through his injured wrist. The paramedic positioned his arm in a sling to secure the injury on the journey.

"The car that almost hit you contained Donatello Carpenter and-"

" _The_ Donatello Carpenter! The son of the famous Mr. Carpenter who invented C-Technology!" Mikey interrupted the paramedics explanation who nodded, "Oh my god! I'm dead! I'm soooooo dead!" Mikey leaned back against the sheets and swung his legs up as he was strapped in.

* * *

Leonardo laid on the couch struggling to keep his eyes open. The jet lag was getting to him. Letting out a big yawn, Leo stood and strolled around the room to prevent himself from falling asleep.

Yoshi had left almost an hour ago to take Joan to the hospital after she had received a phone call from Mikey about the accident. Joan had told them that Mikey wasn't severely injured, just shaken at harming a billionaire's sons.

Locating his smartphone, that he had left in his bedroom, Leo send a message to his father for an update on Mikey condition to which his father replied almost instantly.

' _Just a sprained wrist. Heading home.'_

The jet black haired teen let out a relieved sigh at knowing that his new neighbour would be fine. He sat on his desk chair and hesitantly reached out to the framed photo at the back of his desk. He let his fingers trace around the edge of the frame, but he didn't dare to turn it over.

Leaving his family photo alone, he flipped the lid of his laptop up and once he had found the online chat app, he sent a call through to his trusted friend. It kept ringing… and ringing… and ringing. The call was eventually answered by a teen with dark brown hair. The teen let out a long yawn and rubbed his half open eyes before speaking.

" _Kore wa daredesu ka?"_

Leo looked at the teenager who let out another loud yawn, "Its me Daiki. Your best friend for the past decade."

The sleepy teens eyes snapped open, _"Leonardo?"_ Daiki sat up straighter, revealing his pyjamas in the light of his computer screen, _"Its about time that you called, I've been waiting to hear from you since you left. So, anything interesting happened?"_

"Why are you in your pyjamas?" Leo asked, and Daiki raised one of his dark eyebrows as his answer, waiting for his friend to figure it out. It took a few seconds for Leonardo's brain the click, "I forgot that New York is 13 hours behind Tokyo. I'm so sorry for waking you Daiki."

Daiki shook his head with a smile, _"You should know me better than that Raion. I enjoy talking to you whether it be 2 in the morning or 2 in the afternoon. Whether it's in person or through a screen."_ Daiki flattened some of his cowlick hair, "Now answer my question: Has anything interesting happened yet?"

"Surprisingly yes!" Leo watched as his friend leaned closer to the screen, clearly interested, "I haven't even been here 24 hours yet and already I've met another teen and his grandmother and now that teen has a sprained wrist after almost being hit with a famous guys car. It's going to be interesting."

Daiki sent Leo an overexaggerated look of betrayal, _"So we were too boring for you?"_

Leo smirked at his friend's antics, "No. I just believe that Mikey is an interesting fellow." Daiki tried to hide his yawn behind his had but the ninja in training still saw it, "Go back to sleep, I'll call you back this evening when its morning over there. Sorry again about that."

" _Stop apologising!"_ Daiki commanded, _"Oyasumi, my friend. Call me when you need me."_

"Oyasumi." Leo disconnected the call and leaned back in his desk chair, staring at his white ceiling.

* * *

 **Translations (from google translate):**

 **Kore wa daredesu ka?- Who is this?**

 **Raion- Lion**

 **Oyasumi- Good night**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry about the delay, I had some serious writers block and I wanted to complete my other story _"Experiment T112"_** **before I updated this one. Now that one story is out the way, I should have more time for this one.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own TMNT**

* * *

What I never told you

Rooftop Run

Michelangelo woke up with a loud yawn and tried to fall back asleep by burrowing under his blankets. The deafening beeping of his alarm clock kept him from his desired sleep. Sloppily extending his good arm, Mikey wacked his bedside table before he finally got his alarm turned off.

Rolling into his blanket Mikey prepared to go back to the land of dreams. He could just feel himself being pulled into sleeps embrace when his precious blankets were ripped off his body, allowing the cold in.

"Uhhhh…" Mikey sleepily groaned, shivering from the cold, "Why'd you take my blanket mum?"

"Try again Mikey." A male voice replied.

Mikey snapped awake at the unexpected voice, "Leo?" Mikey gradually sat up, letting out a yawn, "Why are you here?"

"School of course." Leo stated, neatly folding the superhero blanket, "Or did you forget that today is the first day of school?" Leo deposited the bundle of blankets on the end of Mikey's bare bed.

"Not my-" Mikey was interrupted by a yawn, "-first day, Leo. I've been going there since September." Mikey reminded, trudging over to his closet to find some clean clothes that weren't sprawled out on his bedroom floor.

Some when during Mikey's hunt for clothes, Leo vanished (most likely having gone back to his own apartment) so Mikey took a speedy shower, gobbled down his breakfast and went in search for him. Mikey found him waiting just outside the lobby's doors. The 14-year-old hopped down the few steps to join his friend.

The Hamato's had been in America for two weeks now and during that time they had spent a lot of time hanging out with Michelangelo and Joan. They had discovered that Leo and Mikey would be in the same grade when they returned to school. Thankfully, Mikey's wrist had quickly healed from the accident and now it rarely caused him any pain.

When the school bus pulled up, Leo and Mikey climbed in and sat together at the back. They had a civilised conversation until they arrived outside the school.

"You'll love my friends Leo! There's Mondo who's an awesome skateboarder like me and then there is Leatherhead who is huge and sweet, but he also has anger issues so don't make him mad." Mikey spoke, skipping up the school steps.

"Can't wait to meet them." Leo said with a hint of boredom, "I need to go collect my schedule." Leo pointed at the school's office.

"Alright, dude. See you at lunch!" Mikey waved at Leo before he dashed off to meet his friends.

Once Leo had collected his schedule, he found his way to his homeroom room. Thankfully he found it quite quickly and he took a seat before the rest of the students filed in. He was glad when Mikey walked through in with the crowd, waving and smiling at Leo, and took the seat next to the Japanese teen.

"Cool dude, we're in the same homeroom!" Michelangelo exclaimed, fist pumping the air.

"Quite down Michelangelo." The teacher lightly scolded.

* * *

The famous Donatello Carpenter sat at his desk scribbling down some notes on a piece of paper. His chocolate eyes darting between the multiple books that were lying open on the desk and the several pieces of papers that were scattered around. Slamming his pencil down in frustration, he groaned and scrunched up the paper before adding it to the growing piles that littered his bedroom floor.

"Why can't I get it right?" Donnie asked the empty room, "Why won't it work?"

Ignoring the scrunched-up pieces of paper, Donatello paced around his room, muttering to himself about his project. Gradually his frustration diminished, and he felt calm and level headed again.

Abandoning his project, for the time being, Donnie viewed the world outside his misty window. There was still a light dusting of snow, but it was clear to see that spring was slowly moving in. A few colourful flowers were starting to bloom, brightening the bland world. The clouds were clearing to reveal a calm blue sky.

Getting an idea, Donatello ran over to his desk and retrieved a small device. He slipped it into the pocket of his jeans before he opened one of his tall windows and using the strong vines that ran along the side of the building, Donnie climbed out his window and down to the ground. He donned a coat, gloves and the reflective sunglass that he always wore whenever he went out in public.

Thanks to his height, Donnie easily vaulted over the perimeter wall and was sprinting down the path.

* * *

"Nah, nah, nah, nah! You can't get me." Michelangelo taunted as he dodged the balls that were thrown in his direction. The balls bounced off the gymnasium wall and rolled along the dusty floor. He scooped up one of the soft balls that stopped near his feet and with great aim, he chucked it at his opponent, hitting them square in the chest.

Mikey locked eyes with his final opponent. The two of them glared at each other like they were in a wild west shootout. Without breaking eye contact, Mikey picked up a dodgeball and prepared to throw while his opponent braced himself.

Chasseing forward, Mikey swung his arm back and released the ball when he pushed it through the air towards his opponent. The ball hastily flew through the gap between them but before the ball could hit the opponent, he dropped down on his knees and caught it against his chest.

"Out!" The coach announced, pointing at the bewildered blond, "Leonardo's team wins."

"No hard feelings Mikey." Leo rolled onto the balls of his feet before standing back up, "That was pretty impressive. You have amazing speed and accuracy, but you just need to make it less obvious as to where you were going to throw. Your eyes kept glancing to where you aimed to throw."

"Dude… I almost won and for your information, I don't look at where I aim to throw, I stare my enemy down." Mikey whined.

Leo smiled at Mikey's statement and gently coughed into his arm, "You do it naturally." He patted Mikey on the back and headed towards the locker room when the coach dismissed them. Mikey pouted and childishly stomped after his newest friend.

Once inside the locker room, the two teens (along with the rest of their class) changed out their gym clothes and into their regular clothes. A few of the students who had worked up a sweat disappeared into the showers, rapidly destroying the stink.

"Want to hang with me and my pals at lunch?" Mikey asked, slipping on his t-shirt, "They're awesome! You'll like them!"

Leo perched on the edge of the bench, leaning forward to tie his shoelaces, "Sure."

At his response, Mikey jumped around the locker room with more excitement than what was necessary. The freckled faced teen grabbed his rucksack and skipped alongside a calm Leonardo as the two of them left for lunch. Mikey lead the way to the cafeteria which was quickly filling up.

Once they had grabbed their food, Leonardo and Michelangelo found a table near a window. They would have sat outside if the ground wasn't covered in slush. Leo gazed out the window, admiring the view and nibbling on his lunch.

Out of the corner of his eye, Leo thought he saw someone jumping across the gap between the buildings but brushed it aside thinking it was a trick of the light. He took a bit of his sandwich and turned to Mikey.

"I thought your friends would be here by now. Do they even know we're here?"

"They're just taking their time dude. Just relax, life isn't a race." Mikey responded before shovelling his lunch into his mouth. He said something else, but it was too muffled for Leo to make out what he was saying.

Leo rolled his eyes and kept watch over the world outside. Multiple shadows moving across the rooftops caught Leo's eye. Now Leo was sure that the person he saw jump across the roofs earlier was real. Judging that there was just one person in the lead and many other's behind, Leo had a guess at what was going on. He had seen it many times during his ninja training.

* * *

Donnie pulled himself up onto the roof of a nearby building. He casually perched on the edge of the roof and allowed his long legs to dangle over the edge. Removing the devise from his pocket, Donnie slipped the plastic backing off and began to fiddle with the wires inside using his miniature tool kit that he always kept on him.

Speedily retracting his hand as the circuit sparked, Donatello sighed and carefully placed the devise in his lap. He ran his fingers through the slush on the roof which made his bare fingers feel numb so after drying his hand on his coat, he slipped his gloves back on. Don secured the backing on the devise and pocketed it, admiring the view below him at the same time.

 _Splash!_

Whipping his head round, Don stared at the gathered group that stood on the opposite side of the rooftop. Quickly studying them, Don knew exactly who they were from the style of clothing they wore. They were all wearing black clothes- like most gangs would- but this specific gang had red bandanas or headbands tied around their foreheads.

The bulkiest but shortest member of the group stepped forward, grabbed the front of Don's shirt and lifted him on the air with only one hand. In his other hand he fiddled with his weapon of choice- a sai.

"Look wat we 'ave 'ere boys." The gang member laughed with a strong Brooklyn accent, "Snobby rich kid dat needs to be disposed of."

The other gang members started cheering and waving their weapons in the air. Don gulped in fear, his feet only just touched the ground despite his height. Feebly, the tall teen swung his legs to try and loosen the gang members grip which didn't work until he managed to get a practically strong kick in the gang members abdomen. The sudden, unexpected move was a big enough distraction for Donatello to slip from the gang members grip.

Finding his footing on the wet rooftop, Don wasted no time in sprinting away from the group. As Don gained speed, he leaped over the edge of the building and landed on the next roof top. The gang (having recovered from the surprise) followed a couple of paces behind but even with their efforts, they were still a fair bit slower than the intelligent teenager and his long legs.

* * *

"Uh… Leo?" Mikey jogged out of the main entrance of the school, pulling on his coat, "School's not over yet, we still have 2 periods left. Leo? Leo?"

Ignoring the blond teen, Leo raced away from the school and across to the apartment buildings on the opposite side of the road. He used the fire escape to climb to the roof with little effort.

"Leo!" Mikey called out, unsure if he should follow his friend. Mikey exhaled and ended up following the fast Japanese teen.

Once on the rooftop, Leo scanned the area before running in the direction he could see the figures moving in. He could sense Mikey just behind him, amazingly keeping up with his pace. Leo flipped over the gap between the buildings and lightly landed on the damp roof. Step by step, Leo picked up speed until he was close enough to the gang to attack.

* * *

Donatello's body felt like it was on fire. His exhausted limbs were being pushed past their limits. His lungs burned with every breath he took while his heart struggled to get enough oxygen to his overworked muscles.

Huffing and puffing, Don dared to look over his shoulder at the chasers but immediately regretted it when his face met the stone of the rooftop. Don didn't have chance to get back to his feet because a muscular arm wrapped around his neck and dragged him to the centre of the roof where the gang members surrounded him.

The tall teen took a defensive position and slowly spun on the spot, his narrow eyes trying to track the gang's movements. When one of them looked ready to attack, Don raised his arm to deflect, only to end up with a punch from another member. The punch caught the side of Donatello's face and sent his shades flying off his face and shattering upon impact. A second punch followed, then a third. Don closed his eyes and prepared for the forth but to his surprise, it never came…

Uncurling from his fetal position, Don just had time to move out the way as a gang member collapsed to the ground unconscious. The gang were striking at the newcomer who had appeared out of nowhere, forgetting about the celebrity for the time being.

"Hi."

Don would have screamed if a hand hadn't covered his mouth. Cautiously, Don peered at the owner of the hand- a smiley, blond teenager with freckles.

"Hi." The boy repeated, "I'm Mikey and- OMG you're Donatello Carpenter aren't you!"

Don went to reply but stopped when he remembered the hand over his mouth preventing any sound from escaping.

Following Don's line of sight, Mikey realised the problem and immediately removed his hand. Sheepishly he apologised, "Sorry, I didn't want you screaming and attracting the attention. But I guess you are used to the attention, being the son of the founder of C-Tech and all."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it." Donnie mumbled before raising his voice to allow Mikey to hear him over the fight, "I don't have many opportunities to socialise with normal civilians, but shouldn't we be getting as far away from them as possible. At least while they are not paying attention to us."

"Then come on dude!" Don took Mikey's offered hand and got pulled to his feet. Mikey kept his grip on Donnie's hand as he led him over the rooftops in a slow run, the two of them occasionally peaking back to get an update on the battle.

Excited about meeting the celebrity and not having many choices, Mikey hopped off the roof and pried a window open, allowing the two of them to slip in unnoticed.

Donnie's first opinion of the room was that it was a mess. A complete mess. But after a couple of seconds, he spotted some artwork stuck on the wall which- in his opinion- was no masterpiece but it was clear what the subject of the drawing was.

"Whoever's room this is must be love art." Don mused, eying another drawing, "An amateur artist with quite a vivid imagination."

"Hey! Uh…" Mikey went to protest but hesitated not sure rather to take it as a compliment or as an insult, "Thanks… I guess."

Confused, Don asked, "Is this your home then?" Mikey nodded, his platinum blond hair swinging about, "Good because my father is going to kill me when he finds out that I snuck out and especially now seeing that I got beat up. I'm glad I don't have to add breaking and entering to that list."

For a moment, Mikey vanished out the room and re-entered with an ice pack in his hands. He handed the pack to Don who just looked at it confused.

"You look like you just battled the boss villain from my video game Donatello. I still need to beat that level. You any good at video games because I could use some help beating the pizza king and Leo refuses to help." Mikey stated as Don placed the ice pack on his throbbing eye.

"Mikey, please just call me Don or Donnie. My full name is what the fourth estate and my father call me, and you are not one of those pesky fans so please call me Don or Donnie." Don demanded, "As for the video game, I have never actually had the chance or time to play one."

With mock horror, Mikey childishly shrieked, "WHAT! How can you live without video games!"

"I have a super strict father who has me under supervision almost 24/7. Over the years, I have learnt how to cope but it's still not all that easy to have fun or do something that I want to."

"Donnie man… that sucks!" Mikey uttered, "Well, I guess I'm going to have to teach you and in return, you can help me get Leo- Holy chalupa! I forgot about Leo!"

Mikey tore through the mess and out the open window, leaving Donnie all alone in the silent apartment.

* * *

Leonardo Hamato was one of the most hard-working, dedicated ninjas back in Japan. He could easily take whatever was thrown at him, and if he couldn't, he kept practising till he could.

Now, in a real battle against real villains, Leo's ability was being put to the test. Bruises littered his body as well as some scraps that stung. Leo's fists were red and raw from the extreme amount of punches he had delivered to the gang members.

Running on pure adrenaline, Leo delivered a strong roundhouse kick to a member of the gang's stomach causing him to stumble backwards into a fellow gang member. Leo then pivoted and blocked a pipe from whacking him in the head with his arm, adding another large, painful bruise to the limb.

Leo was so caught up fighting the gang, he failed to keep track of the leader. So when the gang leader took the opportunity to stab the Japanese teen with his sai, Leo had no time to deflect the blow…


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank You for all the reviews!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT but I do own my OC Joan.**

* * *

What I never told you

The Red Stripes

Michelangelo Davis sprinted and leapt over the rooftops of New York City- his home since he was born. The always noisy city was as busy as ever with honking cars, chattering people and stray animals.

Mikey skilfully landed on a rooftop with a small splash. Finding the roof he had just escaped from, Mikey crouched behind a vent. He kept himself hidden from the gangs' view while he peered out. The blond could just see Leo in the constantly moving mass of gang members, swinging his arms and legs in coordinated movements to block the attacks and to deliver his own.

Surveying the area, Mikey searched for anything that could assist him in helping his friend. Something shining in the winter sun, just a few meters from his hiding spot, caught Mikey's eye so he crawled over to investigate. It was a partly rusted chain that must have broken off something recently.

"Bingo!" Mikey whispered to himself, picking up the cold chain and stepped to the edge of the roof.

The fight down below was still going as every time Leo knocked a gang member down, another one took their place. Even with all the attacks Leo was delivering, only about one of the gang members had gone down and stayed down. Leo was so focused on the members that he lost track of the leader.

But Mikey didn't!

Michelangelo ran faster than he had ever ran before. He had eyes on the leader and feared that he would not reach them in time. Swinging the chain at his side, Mikey picked up some more speed. He threw the chain forward just as the Sai was descending…

* * *

Donatello stood in the bedroom felling incredibly awkward being in a stranger's apartment all by himself. He wanted to have a look around but was worried about damaging or touching something he shouldn't. Back home several rooms were off limits to him, it might be the same here.

Timidly shuffling to the door, Don peeked out before slipping through the crack. He strolled around the room and occasionally ran his gentle fingers over the surface of objects and furniture. Donnie found the couch a point of interest. The fabric was much rougher and no where near as soft as the couches at the Carpenter Estate and when Don lightly sat on it, he found the springs uncomfortable.

"I never realised just how luxurious the estate is." The teenager mumbled, shuffling around to try and find a comfortable position, "I won't complain about the chairs again because man… this is uncomfortable."

Don rolled to the side, not realising just how close to the edge he was and promptly slipped off. Groaning in pain, Don noticed something tucked under the couch and raising up on one arm, he dragged it out.

Once in a sitting position, the genius opened the laptop and pressed the power button only to find that it wouldn't turn on. Donatello closed it back up and flipped it over before removing the panel with his miniature screwdriver. He fiddled with a few wires then screwed the panel back on. The teenager pressed the button again and this time the screen lit up with the laptops company logo.

Don almost dropped the laptop when something hard whacked him around the head. It wasn't hard enough to knock him out, but it did make him see stars. He crawled to the edge of the room cradling his throbbing head just missing a few other swings.

"Who are you and why are you in my house?" The attacker demanded taking another swing with the wooden bat.

Raising his arms in defence, Donnie quickly answered, "My name is Donatello Carpenter, son of the inventor of C-technology." He hated using the name card, but he figured that he had no choice in this situation. If it made the crazy lady stop trying to kill him, he could live with it.

"Donatello Carpenter…" The woman echoed in disbelief.

Like she had just been slapped round the face, the woman dropped the bat and started helping a dazed Don to the couch, "I thought you were an intruder. How did you get in here anyway?"

"Mikey," Don breathed, "he brought me here after we escaped the gang that was chasing me. Leo- I believe that is what Mikey called him- fought them off while your son helped me escape."

Joan handed Don a cool glass of water, "Actually he is my grandson, but I will take that as a compliment. My daughter got pregnant with Michelangelo when she was 16 after her boyfriend at the time forgot to check the protection. He walked out on her as soon as he found out." She sighed, taking a sip of her tea.

"It seems like Mikey is lucky to have you as a grandmother. All my grandparents were either dead before I was born or died when I was still a baby, so I don't remember them." Donatello explained, gently running his hand through his light brown hair, "Father won't even tell me about them."

"And everyone knows what happened to your mother." The elderly woman placed a manicured hand on the teenager's shoulder and gave Don a warm smile.

* * *

The chain wrapped around the leader's wrist and with a yank from Mikey, the Sai was pulled off target. The weapon scrapped Leo's arm. The distraction gave the Japanese teen an opening to punch the man in the face which caused him to stumble backwards. Mikey closed the distance and delivered a perfect roundhouse kick to the leader's already beat up face. Seeing their best fighter on the ground and noticing that their target was no longer around, the gang took off across the rooftops.

"You ok dude?" asked Mikey, examining Leo's injuries carefully.

Applying pressure to the deep cut on his arm with the handkerchief he hated carrying around but did so just for situations like this one, Leo reassured the younger teen, "Just cuts and bruises. I have had much worse."

Mikey assisted Leo in tying the handkerchief around the wound as a makeshift bandage before grabbing his good arm. The blond dragged Leo to the edge of the roof and together they climbed down the fire escape.

Once safely on the ground, Leo's exhausted legs buckled beneath him and he would have landed hard on the ground if Mikey hadn't grabbed him in time. The shorter teen wrapped his arm around Leo's waist and got the Japanese teen to lean on him as they slowly strolled back home. They had to stop every now and then to let the vertigo that Leo was having pass.

Eventually, the duo reached the front door of the Davis' apartment. Mikey used his key to unlock the door only to find it already open and two voices drifting out from within. Leo swung the door open, shuffling in with Mikey still supporting him.

"Oh, my dear," Joan assisted her grandson in settling Leo on the couch where she had just been sitting, "What happened to you?"

"Gang…" Leo slurred, shifting to a more comfortable position.

Don gulped at the mention of his chasers, trying not to imagine what they would have done to him if the kind strangers had stepped in.

"Sit still so that I can check your wounds." The genius commanded, removing the make shift bandage, "It's not deep enough for you to need stitches but I recommend that you go easy with your arm for the next few days."

"I don't think…I'm going to be doing much…for the next few- OW!" Leo squealed when Donnie started cleaning his wounds, "Donatello-"

Don interrupted him, "Don or Donnie."

Breathing heavily, Leo continued, "Don that hurts."

"You were attacked by an armed gang and you fought them off with your bare hands, yet you find having your own wounds treated more painful." Donnie smirked, causing Mikey and Joan to chuckle, "Stop complaining will you."

The chocolate eyed teenager finished cleaning Leo's wounds and using the supplies in the first aid kit, he dressed the bleeding laceration on Leo's arm. Donnie wrapped the gauze around the limb to secure the dressing pad before moving on to the smaller cuts and bruises.

"Who were those guys?" questioned Leo breathlessly, flinching in pain, "I know I haven't been in America for long… but that gang seemed different… to the ones I have seen hanging around… These guys were more tactical and… skilful."

"Don't forget the accents." Mikey added from his position on the floor, "It was like _get 'em and pound de 'eads in_."

"Brooklyn accent." Don supplied, "They all had Brooklyn accents."

"Hmmm…" Joan thought, "There are many small gangs that are based in Brooklyn but like the Purple Dragons being the main gang here in Manhattan, Brooklyn has their own. By any chance were these members wearing black garments with something red like a scarf or-"

"BANDANAS!" The three teens shrieked in realisation.

After a moment of silence, it was Donnie that broke it, "I knew I recognised their style. I believe they call themselves The Red Stripes."

Joan nodded while, "Indeed. They are extremely deadly and stealthy. Most of their victims were due to being in the wrong place at the wrong time." She patted Leo's knee from where she perched on the edge of the couch, "I am glad you boys escaped alive. Now if you will excuse me, I need to call someone's father."

Leo groaned and dramatically threw his head back against the cushions, "Can't we keep this…quiet?"

"Nice try Leonardo, nice try." Joan replied before leaving the room to call Yoshi who had gone out for the day.

"My father…is going to…kill me." Leo quietly moaned before coughing heavily into his arm.

The smartest teenager of the group commented while he packed away the medical supplies into the first aid kit, "I'm sure he wouldn't do that, after all he is your father and he loves you."

"AWWW how sweet." Teased Mikey, rolling away when the Japanese teenager threw a pillow at him. He giggled and threw the cushion back. The room quickly filled with giggles and flying pillows.

The fun came to a sudden halt when Leo doubled over and started harshly hacking into his arm. Mikey grabbed him a cool glass of water and thankfully Leo was able to stop coughing enough to take a few sips, but it did nothing to help him get his breathing under control.

"Deep breaths Leo." Don instructed as he helped the wheezing teen to sit up.

Pointing at the front door, Leo wheezed out, "Bed… room, top… top drawer…" Leo had to stop for a minute due to the coughing. Once he the coughs died down, he finished his sentence, "Blue… p…pouch."

Donatello didn't understand what Leo was telling them but Mikey, having known the Asian teen for longer, did. The blond dashed out of his home and across the hall, within seconds he had unlocked the Hamato's apartment with the spare key and was rummaging through the top drawer of Leo's bedside table. He found the light blue pouch tucked at the back with some stationary, he grabbed it and sprinted back.

"Got it!" Mikey yelled, tossing the bag to Don who caught it with ease.

Loosening the top, Don peeked in and pulled the small device out. He handed it to Leo who has leaning against the genius's chest for support. Gratefully Leo took the inhaler and inhaled the medicine. After the second puff, the wheezing had died down and the tightness in Leo's chest had gone, letting him take deep breaths.

"Deep breathes..." Don kept instructing, still supporting Leo from behind. Leo relaxed against the taller teen and closed his eyes to focus on his breathing.

A few more breaths later, Leo hoarsely spoke, "I haven't had one of those since I was 6 years old. That was 9 years ago now."

"Dude… Why didn't you tell me you were asthmatic?" Asked Mikey with a slight whine in his voice, "I've known you for two weeks now, you could have told me."

"And I wander what caused it this time." Donnie wondered, shifting so that the Asian could sit normally, "Could be because of the fighting or running…"

"It's the cold," Leo corrected, "I think. I left my coat back at school so combine the cold with all the exercise and you get the perfect conditions for an asthma attack."

Gently slapping Leonardo's hand, Joan (who had returned after her phone call just after the attack) scolded the boy, "Tell us before it gets that bad next time. Understand young man?"

"Hai Jo-san." Leo would have bowed respectfully if his body wasn't already aching, "Normally I have one with me but it's currently in my rucksack-"

"Which you left at school along with mine." Mikey finished, "My glorious comic books were in there. Now their gone, ruined by the doofus' in school."

"They will be fine Jelly Bean. Your school called to let me know that you hadn't turned up for two periods and that your bag was found in the canteen. They're keeping yours and Leonardo's safe in the office until you return." The elder explained.

"And Leonardo," Sapphire blue eyes met Joan's baby blue eyes, "Your father will be home shortly. He said that he wanted to take you down to the hospital to get checked out but if you ask me this fine young lad has done a perfect job."

Don shyly smiled, "Thank you ma'am."

Holding up a finger, Joan shushed the tallest teenager, "It's Joan or Jo. There is no need for ma'am in this family."

"Well…um… Thank you Joan." Donnie spoke, "I have had first aid training but that's it. Leo only has minor wounds- thankful- so you can tell his father that he doesn't need to go to the hospital unless he gets drastically worse."

"Yokatta," The Japanese teen sighed, "Watashi wa byōin ga kirai."

Without fully realising what he was hearing, Donnie replied, "Hospitals aren't that bad Leo. Doctors are usually quite friendly, and they know what they are doing so you don't have to worry about that. Thou, to be fair, I have never needed to be admitted to hospital."

Joan, Mikey and Leo stared at the genius in surprise. Leo had been talking in Japanese and yet Don was able to understand him.

"What?" Timidly asked Don, watching the three pairs of eyes that were fixed on him and blinking in sync, "Do I have something on my face?"

"You know Japanese?" Leo inquired, tempted to ask him in Japanese but chose to keep speaking in English. That way the Davis' weren't being left out.

What Leo had said before hit Don like a huge tidal wave, "I do. Father believes it is best to learn as many languages as possible so that when I take over his company, I can expand keep expanding and making deals with foreign countries and companies."

Smirking, Don added, "I can speak Japanese, Chinese, French, Spanish and Latin fluently and I am in the prosses of learning Italian and German."

"We should call you Global Genius Guy!" Mikey announced, jumping up from his sitting position on the floor, "The man who can speak to everyone!"

"Uhh…" Hesitated Donnie because he was still getting used to Mikey and his enthusiasm, "It's called multilingualism and I am not the only person who knows multiple languages Mikey. I know several of C-Tech's employers do."

Mikey completely ignored Don's information and shouted, "GLOBAL GENIUS GUY!"

Leo leaned over and whispered in Don's ear, "Don't worry, he is always like this."

"He has been since he was born." Joan told the teenagers, "Michelangelo was a wild, energetic and loud toddler and he didn't lose any of that as he grew into an adventurous child and he is still like that as an adorable teenager. He will never change."

Leo and Don chuckled as they watched Mikey bounce around the kitchen, searching for ingredients that Joan asked for to cook a late lunch.

"Will you boys be joining us?" the elderly lady asked.

"If it's not a bother, then yes please." Don politely answered, assisting the shortest teen in getting down a jar of tomato sauce from a high shelf. He handed it to Mikey who was pouting.

"Quit pouting Michelangelo, Donatello was just giving you a hand." Joan softly commanded while she put a pot of water on the stove to boil, "What about you Leonardo?"

"I don't think I am going to be moving all that soon if I am honest." Leo said as he rolled his shoulders. He didn't like admitting it, but everything ached.

* * *

Everything ached. Raphael was doing his best not to have an obvious limp as he walked through the halls of the grand church. The rest of the gang followed behind, letting their leader take control- and any punishment they may receive for their failure.

The stoic gang entered the main chamber and bowed at the foot of the steps that lead to where a man was seated. Dark eyes glared daggers at the tops of their heads from behind a metal mask. The man rose, pure power, strength and anger radiating from him as he proudly strode down the steps, stopping in front of the gang leader.

"You failed." The man in armour stated, unsheathing his hidden blades. Raphael felt the coldness of the blades as they ghostly traced the back of his neck, "You promised me that The Red Stripes where deadly assassins. You are nothing but a group of inexperienced children."

"Master, we did not expect him to be with anyone, especially not someone with such talent." Raphael boldly explained, not daring to raise his head, "He had skills, I have never seen before. But I assure you next time-"

Blades swung under the leader's chin, causing him to tilt his head up to look at his master, "Who was this person who beat you?"

"He never said his name Master."

"Who?" The man coldly demanded, applying pressure to the blades which pushed more into Raphael's flesh.

"He was Asian, had blue eyes and brown hair." Raphael replied, "He also had a scar under his right eye."

The man removed his blades and Raphael instantly lowered his head again, "Leave." The Red Stripes wasted no time in backing out of the chamber and disappearing back into the night.

Ignoring the questioning looks from his own followers, the armoured man stared out the window. He couldn't believe it, after all these years, the boy he had been searching for had finally returned.

"You may be skilled _boy_ , but you are still young. You have not had the experience my ninja's have had." Darkly chuckling, the man pulled a faded picture of a young boy out of his belt, "You took the love of my life from me brother, now I will finally get my revenge. Say goodbye to your precious son Yoshi, because soon he will be no more." He dropped the photograph in a nearby flame and smirked as he watched it burn, "Sayōnara Hamato Leonardo."

* * *

 **Translations (From Google Translate):**

 **Yokatta- Thank goodness**

 **Watashi wa byōin ga kirai- I hate hospitals**

 **Sayōnara- Goodbye**


	6. Chapter 6

**Two of my new OCs make an appearance in this chapter and they may or may not become an important part of this story. Enjoy :)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own TMNT but all OCs are mine.**

* * *

What I Never Told You

Ghosts of the past

"Can you pass me the cheese please Mikey?"

Michelangelo passed a small bowl containing grated cheese across the round table to Leonardo, snickering, "Cheese please."

Gratefully the Japanese teen took the bowl and sprinkled some over the top of his spaghetti bolognese. Mikey's loving Grandmother had kindly whipped up the meal to feed the teenage boys after the painful hour they just suffered through. Chased by The Red Strips, fought The Red Strips, fled from The Red Strips and Leo's asthma attack had all happened in the past hour.

Yep- just one hour.

"This is delicious Joan!" Complimented Donatello after he swallowed his mouthful. He scooped some more onto his fork and shovelled it into his mouth, a little bit of sauce staying around the edge of his mouth.

However, that was nothing compared to Mikey who was as messy as a 2-year-old with sauce around half his face, "See, I told you guys that Nanny's cooking is the best!" He beamed before slurping the last of his spaghetti.

A damp flannel was pushed against Mikey's filthy face as Joan scrubbed at the sauce. Mikey leaned back in protest and tried to escape but the elderly woman had a strong grip on his chin. She licked the cloth and continued to scrub, only to have Mikey squeal in disgust.

"Gross, gross, groooooooossssssssssssssssssssss!"

"I wouldn't have to do this if you learned to get your food in your mouth and not around your mouth." Stated Joan, removing the last of the sauce from her grandson's face.

Mikey immediately wiped his face dry with the sleeve of his hoodie. Leo and Donnie, who had silently been watching the show, chuckled and received a stuck-out tongue from the blond.

At that moment, the front door flew open and a panicking Japanese man ran in. He calmed down when he spotted his injured son smiling at him.

"Kon'nichiwa chichi." Greeted Leo as he painfully stood up.

"Let's get you home musuko. Thank you Joan for taking care of him. If there is anything you ever need, don't be afraid to ask and I will be happy to help." Yoshi shook the older woman's hand before assisting his only son across the hall and to Leo's bedroom. He got Leo comfy with plenty of pillows to support him.

Leo groaned at all the fuss over him, "It's just a few scratches and bruises. I just need time to rest father and I will be perfectly fine tomorrow. You'll see."

Yoshi jabbed two fingers into Leo's ribs which caused the teenager to hiss in pain and curl his arms around his aching rubs, "That is what I thought." He smugly said, "You are my son Leonardo and when Joan informed me of you turning up injured, I was scared that I would lose you too."

"No Leonardo," Yoshi continued when Leo was going to object, "I lost your mother and sister and then sat by your hospital bed for days, waiting for you to wake up and smile at me again. You were hooked up to multiple monitors and for the first 24 hours, had a tube down your throat to help you breath."

Sadly smiling at his son, Yoshi ran and hand through Leo's jet black locks, "I am glad Tang Shen didn't take you with her."

"Me too. I just… I just wish mother and Miwa could have stayed too." Leo's watery eyes were drooping so Yoshi made one final check to make sure the teen was comfy before he left.

"He is right sir." Donatello spoke from the front door. Yoshi had just silently closed the bedroom door when Don spoke so he hadn't realised he was there, "I wasn't eavesdropping, but Leo is right when he says he will be fine with rest."

"I know he will be Donatello." Yoshi replied, "But when you watch your child fighting for their life, it mentally scars you for life."

"How-"

Chuckling, Yoshi patted the young man's shoulder, "Joan told me about how my son and Michelangelo saved you. I am glad you three are alright."

"Leo was a true hero sir," Don explained, "He held off the attackers long enough for me and Mikey to get to safety. If it wasn't for him, I'm… I'm not sure what would have happened to me and truthfully, I don't even want to consider that possibility."

Yoshi smiled kindly at the stranger, "Leonardo takes his honour very seriously. He has done since he was a young boy."

"And he is a super kick-butt ninja." Piped in Mikey who chose that moment to stick his head around the door, "You should have seen him, he was all POW, BANG, PUNCH, KICK, DODGE…" He disappeared down the corridor sloppily mimicking fighting while two pairs of eyes watched.

Don was about to follow Mikey when he turned back to Yoshi, "I just wanted to say thank you to Leo, he is lucky to have you as a father." And with that Don jogged away to catch up with Mikey.

"And I am grateful to have him as my son."

* * *

 _Leo kicked off his thin blanket, feeling unnaturally warm. He rolled over to see if that cooled him down but there was no luck. He rolled over again and rubbed his sapphire eyes to wake himself up. When he opened them, he realised that the room was darker then it usually was at night, even his nightlight was duller than usual._

" _Mummy? Daddy?" Leo called out when he heard a voice… voices? He wasn't sure. The boy crawled out of his futon and across his bedroom floor, sliding the door open when he reached it._

 _Leo crawled into the smoke-filled corridor and followed the voices which increased in volume as he got closer. Several times, Leo had to stop to cough into his sleeved arm. The whole way he kept calling out, "Mummy? Daddy?"_

 _When he reached the dojo (the largest room in the building), he finally stood up. The heat had greatly intensified as he moved through his home and now, he saw why. Fire spread across most of the beloved dojo, causing pieces of the celling to fall. In the centre of the room, Leo could see his mother and it looked like she was talking…no, arguing with someone who the child couldn't quite make out._

" _MUMMY!"_

 _Tang Shen's head whipped round when she heard her son's shout. She yelled over the growing inferno, "GET OUT OF HERE LEONARDO!"_

" _Mummy what's happening?" The 6-year-old asked, realising just how severe the situation was. He covered his mouth and weakly cough before he wheezed out, "Why is there… fire… everywhere?"_

" _LEONARDO RUN!" The Japanese woman commanded._

 _Just then Leo heard a cracking sound above him. He looked up and screamed as the burning ceiling collapsed above him._

Leo's eyes shot open and he hastily sat up, trying to take deep breaths. Thankfully the nightmare didn't cause Leo to have an asthma attack so after sitting in his bed for several minutes, Leo's breathing was back to normal.

The Japanese teenager rested his head on his knees, whispering, "Why can't I just forget that day? Why does it have to haunt me? I miss you haha… I wish you were still here…I…" By the end, Leo could no longer contain his emotions and the tears spilled out.

* * *

"Then all you have to do is shoot the flying octopus and you collect the glowing orb that it leaves behind. That orb is what powers your spaceship." Michelangelo instructed as Don played one of the games Mikey had downloaded on his smart phone, "You need to have your spaceship working be able to fly back home before the green goop guys find you because when they find you- and they will- they attack you with everything they have which kills you unless you have the mega awesome pistol which you have to buy on another plant."

The large red words spelling, "You died" flashed across the phones screen.

Mikey fell forward onto his bed groaning in disappointment, "How are you so bad at this?"

"Hey," Donnie defended himself, standing from his perch on the edge of the blond's bed, "I have _never_ played a video game before today, so I say I am doing very well for getting as far as I did. Plus, who even invented a game with green goop guys? What even are those?"

"Ryan Rogers is an _amazing_ game developer and all my favourite video games are from RR Games." Explained Mikey, sitting back up.

"I like the fluffy bunnies!" A young girl with red hair exclaimed as she walked in, clutching Joan's much larger hand.

At the sight of the child, Mikey leaped off his bed and scooped the little girl up in a huge hug, "NUGGET!"

"Mikey!" The girl laughed as she was spun around in the air, "I missed you."

"I missed you too Chicken Nugget!" Replied Mikey as he gave the girl a quick kiss on his cheek. He placed the child back on her feet and ruffled her curly red bunches that were held in by two yellow ribbons.

Gesturing to the little girl standing next to Mikey, Joan filled Donnie in, "Donatello, meet Sarah Jane York. I babysit her when her parents have to work late."

Don kindly smiled at Sarah, "It's an honour to meet you, Sarah. I'm Donnie."

Sarah shook Donnie's hand and sweetly smiled back at him, "Hi."

"She's adorable, isn't she?" Mikey squealed in the genius's ear, "I wish she was my sister, that way I could get all the ladies chasing after me."

"In your dreams." Scoffed Donnie, sticking his tongue at the girl when she did it to him, "I'd better head home. I snuck out and I am not sure how much longer my cover up is going to last for."

Mikey playfully complained, "Your no fun. First you have no idea how to play video games and then you leave us when the party is just starting."

"I like video games." Sarah stated, hugging the tallest teenagers' skinny legs, "Bye-bye Donnie."

"Bye-bye Sarah." Don hugged the 4-year-old before receiving a high five from Mikey, "Bye Mikey."

"Bye Global Genius Guy!" Donnie rolled his eyes at the nickname Mikey refused to stop calling him as he left the small apartment.

"So what do you want to do munchkin?" Questioned Mikey while he lifted Sarah to sit on his lap. Sarah looked up at the teen and smiled innocently but there was the same mischievous glint in her emerald eyes that Mikey got in his baby blue ones when he was planning something.

Without Sarah saying anything, Mikey agreed with her, "I like how you think Nugget."

Sarah just giggled behind her hands.

* * *

Donatello climbed up the side of the Carpenter estate and in through his bedroom window that he had left open when he left. He landed softly on the floor and started to remove his disguise.

"And where have you been?" A sharp voice full of authority demanded.

"Um…" Donnie stumbled for words as he saw his father- a man who was practically a strange to him- glaring at him.

"Answer me son." The word "son" had no feelings behind it, making the man sound cold and heartless.

"I went out." Don truthfully answered though a little hesitantly.

Mr Carpenters glare hardened, causing his only son to gulp and hang his head, suddenly finding the wooden floor interesting. In a low voice the celebrity said, "You did what?"

"I went out." Repeated Don in a barely audible voice.

"Without telling any one!" Mr Carpenter snapped, Don flinched at the increase in volume, "You are my _son_ Donatello, that means you are to listen and obey my orders! And when I say you are not to go out- you do not go out!"

"I am sorry father." Apologized the teenager, his eyes still examining the floor.

Once more the man snapped at him, "Look at me when you speak."

Don awkwardly made eye contact with his father, "I am sorry father, it will not happen again."

"It better not." Mr Carpenter turned to speak to Klay Lancaster (Don's bodyguard) next, "Make sure he does not leave his room again, he is grounded until further notice."

Lancaster politely replied, "Yes sir." Before his boss left.

"I understand that you hate being supervised but it is for your own good." Lancaster spoke to the teenager, "Your father is just trying to keep you safe."

"Since when have I been his main priority, that always been held by his baby- C-Technology." Complained Don as he plopped down on his king-sized bed, "I'm just a pest he can't get rid of."

"You are just as stubborn as your father you know." Lancaster gave a rare show of emotion as he smirked, "No matter how much I tell you that your father has your best interests at heart, you refuse to believe it."

"He never punishes Reni like he does me."

"That is because you sister doesn't disobey his orders. When she is told to stay in her room, she does." Explained Lancaster, walking towards the door, "Get on with your Italian lessons and I will be back to check on you in a few minutes."

"Oh," The bodyguard quickly added as he left, "And I would apricate it if you didn't pull a Houdini on me again Young Master."

Donatello lay on his bed, staring at his plainly painted celling. Lost in the recent memories that he made that day, including his two new friends.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" A feminine voice teased.

Don let out a high pitch scream and fell off his bed in surprise. When he clambered back to his feet, he found his twin sister- Serenity Carpenter- lying on the other side of his bed. She smiled at his surprised look and asked again, "Do you have a girlfriend? It would explain why you are so determined to escape."

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Don countered while he reclaimed his space on the bed, "What do you want Reni?"

"I want to talk to my genius _little_ brother." Reni smirked, then giggled when her twin rolled his chocolate eyes.

"Six minutes." Don stated, "I am only younger than you by six minutes, that does not make me your _"little brother"_. Especially seeing that I am taller than you."

"Still six minutes." Reni grabbed one of the fluffy pillows under her head and wacked Donnie with it, "I'm older than you and there is nothing you can do about it."

Grabbing the pillow when Reni tried to hit him a second time, Don pulled it out of her grasp before looking at her seriously, "Do you ever wander what it would be like to have prober friends?"

"What," Reni sounded slightly offended, "I'm not good enough for you? Is that why you found yourself a secret girlfriend?"

"I'm serious Reni, I want to have friends… well, other than you of course. I met these friendly, fun boys while I was out. They saved my life." The male teenager examined the ceiling again and only looked at his sister when she traced her elegant fingers over his cheek.

"You alright Donnie? You're not hurt because if you are, I should check you out." Reni fussed over her only sibling.

"I wasn't hurt Reni!" Donnie insisted, trying to push his twins' hands away from his face, "Serenity, leave my face alone!"

Pulling her hands out of Don's grasp, Reni stated, "I'm the doctor-in-training in this family so you can tell me that you are fine however often you want, but I will still have a check for myself."

"You're not a doctor-in-training yet." Don pointed out as he gave into his sister's check-up, "You don't start med school at Harvard until September so until then, I do not need to tell you about every bruise and scrap I receive."

"Doctor or not, I am still your big sister which means I will find out eventually." Reni smirked, patting Donnie on the shoulder once she finished checking him over, "Everything looks good. Drink plenty of water and if you feel dizzy or nauseous tell me immediately."

"Worry wort." Don mumbled, rolling off his bed and grabbing some tools on his desk, "I'm going to crack on with some of this work. Maybe then I could get out again tonight, maybe even meet up with my new friends. At least, I think they are my friends. I only met them today, but they were nice and super friendly."

"You shall do no such thing Donatello Carpenter!" Reni imitated their celebrity father and stood on Donnie's bed, her hands on her hips and her face a mask of seriousness like David Carpenter's always was, "Going out in public will ruin my reputation and that is all I care about. Now get back to your studies, my son needs to be perfect in every way to take over the business one day."

"Shut up!" Don chuckled as he threw a scrunched-up piece of paper at the girl only to find her no longer on his bed.

"Reni!" Called out Don when he couldn't locate his twin, "Reni! Serenity!"

There was still no sight of the girl, so Don shrugged and got back to his work, muttering, "Well that was weird."

* * *

Leo wandered aimlessly around his bedroom, trying to ease the dull ache in his muscles. After his twenty seventh lap- yes, he was counting- of the room, Leo donned his thin coat and was about to exit the apartment when his father's hand on the door stopped him.

"I need to stretch my legs father." Leonardo explained while zipping up the front of his black coat, "I feel much better after that nap, but the fresh air is what I need right now."

Yoshi had raised Leonardo single handily since he was widowed by his beloved Tang Shen when Leonardo was 6. He knew that his son found comfort sitting next to the stream that ran past the Hamato dojo in Japan but unfortunately, they were no longer in Japan. Leo just had to make do.

"Be careful my son. Today's events have proven just how dangerous the world can be." Yoshi pointed out, "Have you got-"

Having had the same speech many times in his young life, Leo respectful interrupted his father, "Yes, I have my mobile. Yes, I have my inhaler this time. Yes, I will return if any feels weird. Yes, I will do my best not to be a hero, but I can never promise that one."

Yoshi chuckled at Leo's response, "When you become a father, you will do the exact same thing my son."

"Well, I am not planning that for quite some time…" The teenager muttered, a slight blush on his cheeks.

Escaping from anymore embarrassment, Leo rushed out the door before his father could stop him again. He strolled through the corridor and up the stairs that lead to the roof.

Once on the roof, the Japanese teen perched on the edge and dangled his legs over the side. The cool breeze ruffled his jet-black hair and numbed his sore body. He watched as the traffic down below moved along, blurring into one single line.

Leo gently closed his eyes and relaxed as he listened to the sounds of the city, a small smile gracing his face when remembered what it was like back home in Tokyo. When his mother would take care of him while his father was working or training. When his grandfather would tell him old Japanese legends. When his sister Miwa would hold his hand as they explored the city together.

The teenager's eyes snapped open when he thought he heard the faintest of voices whispering his name. Knowing that no one was on the rooftop with him, Leo went back to watching the street below only to hear it again but louder this time.

Leo flew to his feet and took a defensive position. His stance faltered and his eyes widened in shock at the person who stood before him. A few quiet words absently slipping out of his numb mouth.

"You're supposed to be dead…"

* * *

 **Translations:**

 **Kon'nichiwa chichi- Hello father**

 **Musuko- Son**

 **Haha- Mother**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own TMNT**

* * *

What I Never Told You

Shadows in the day let the ninjas play

 _Earlier that day…_

Raphael stomped through the halls of the abandoned warehouse that had become the temporary headquarters for The Red Strips while they were in Manhattan, New York. He ran a scarred hand through his dark auburn hair, causing it to become spiky like it was before the sweat stuck it to his head.

He snatched a bottle of water from the mini fridge that they had in the make shift kitchen and chugged its contents down. The leader chucked the empty bottle in the carrier bag that they used as a bin. It missed the target but Raph couldn't be bothered to pick it back up and put it in properly, instead he just shrugged his shoulders and moved on.

Every member of The Red Stripes was gathered in the largest side room that had been converted into a gym for the members to train in. When their leader walked, they didn't even glance at him.

Hun, the second in command, glared at teen who had humiliated them. He had been in line to be the big boss but then this _boy_ joined and took the title of leader from him. Hun had just as much skill and intimidation as Raphael but nope, the new kid had more muscle which apparently made him the perfect person to be the one in control.

"We were humiliated." Raphael stated, gaining the attention of his fellow gang members, "The Red Stripes are de most feared gang in de whole of New York and earlier we had our butts kicked by DAT BOY!" His voice kept raising in volume until he was shouting, "DERE ARE MORE OF US AND ONLY ONE OF 'IM!"

After a brief pause, Raph added in a lower voice, "Tonight we will track 'im down and show 'im who's boss!" The members of The Red Stripes cheered loudly and a few of them even bumped chests or fists in glee.

The only one not celebrating was Hun.

"If you wish to keep your heads on your bodies, you will do no such thing." A skinny brunette threatened as she confidently entered the gym.

"My name is Karai and I am here on behalf of Master Shredder." The woman informed them, "Your pitiful attempt to carry out simple orders this morning has made Master Shredder realise just how pathetic you all are. Your services are no longer needed."

"What!" Raphael snapped, "We 'ad a deal! If we went after dat money hog's son, den 'e would supply us with dose new weapons."

Getting in the leader's face, Karai fiercely corrected him, "The _deal_ was for your gang to capture Mr Carpenter's son _without_ harming him and you did neither of those."

Raphael's temper got the best of him and he swung his tight fist at the young woman. The kunoichi saw the attack coming and grabbed his bulky arm. She twisted Raphael's arm behind his back and used it to pin him against the wall.

Karai leaned in close and whispered in Raphael's ear, "Your services are no longer needed."

With that said, Karai began to leave but abruptly stopped when Raph angrily mumbled, "Dis is all da Blue Boys fault."

"Who?" Karai questioned, raising a thin eyebrow.

"Dat Japanese boy." Raph explained, still fuming, "Da one with da blue eyes, neat black hair and dat stupid scar."

"Is that scar under his right eye?" Asked Karai as she crossed her arms over her chest. When Raphael didn't answer, she sprinted towards him and pinned him against the wall again, this time having her blade across his throat.

"Is that scar under his right eye?" She demanded more fiercely, applying some pressure to her weapon.

The gang's leader breathed out a quiet, "Ya." And upon receiving an answer, Karai released the teen. She pulled her mobile phone out of her pocket and pulled up a photo she hadn't looked at in several years.

She showed the photograph to Raphael, "Is this the boy that you fought?"

"'e was older but…" Raph intensely studied the young boy on the kunoichi's phone, "Dat definitely looks like 'im. Is 'e your long-lost soulmate or something?" The teen joked.

"He's my supposed to be dead baby brother." Karai absently answered, blankly looking at the picture of the boy she hadn't seen since he was six.

Masking her features again, Karai pocketed her phone and sheathed her blade. She ignored the gang members whispering about her as she took off at full speed, out the warehouse and to the rooftops of New York City.

Karai reach the New York Foot headquarters in record breaking time. Her agility and stealth came in handy as she used the broken stained-glass window to sneak back in. The kunoichi didn't have to sneak in as the Shredder was the one who had sent her to deliver the message.

Unfortunately for her, the Shredders enhanced senses had already detected her so when she lightly landed on the walkway behind him, he spoke, "Did you deliver the message like I said?"

"Tell me the truth! The boy that defeated The Red Stripes is my brothers, isn't he?" Karai demanded, her fists clenched to try and keep her anger at bay, "You said he and father died in that fire from their injuries. That's why you took me in. It was all a lie wasn't it!"

The Shredders steel like eyes glared at his second in command but other than that, he showed no emotions.

"I am your master." The Shredder coldly reminded Karai, "I thought I taught you better then to talk to your master like that."

"And my Master is supposed to have honour!" Karai retaliated, "Where's the honour in lying?"

"I did no such thing." The shredder stated, keeping his steely eyes on the girl in front of him.

In a fit of rage, Karai unsheathed her sword and swung at her master. The master ninja in the room dodged and placed a hard kick in Karai's abdomen, causing her to stumble back. Before she could get up from where she had landed, two of The Shredder's minions, Chris Bradford and Xever Montes, grabbed her arms and held her steady despite her struggling.

The Shredder ordered, "Take her to the dungeon and make sure she stays there. She will not return until she has learnt to respect her master."

"YOU ARE NOT MY MASTER!" The kunoichi yelled as she was dragged away.

The Shredder waited until his second in command had been taken away before he spoke, "Make sure Hamato Yoshi and Leonardo are dealt with properly."

"Of course Master." Someone concealed in the shadows of the lair respectfully replied.

Elsewhere in the room, just inside the crack in Stain glass window, a pair of emerald eyes watched the event unfold…

* * *

Karai paced around the small cell she had been locked in. Xever stood outside sharpening his knife, occasionally glancing at the prisoner or making a snide comment with Bradford when he popped down.

"Xever!" Bradford called when he entered the dungeon, two foot soldiers trailing behind him, "Master wants us in the throne room immediately. I think we get to do the mission those loser stripes failed at."

Xever snickered as he followed Bradford down the corridor, his loud voice still audible to Karai, "Lets show them how _real_ men fight."

"No," Despite knowing that they were too far away to hear her, Karai corrected them, "My brother will show you how honourable men fight."

"Ya really 'ave dat much faith in 'im?"

The kunoichi stared coldly at the shadows where the gruff voice came from, "Yes, I do. I helped father to train him. He had way more potential when he was six than those two full grown adults do now."

"Yet 'is sister is a prisoner to 'er own master."

"Shut up and get me out of here!" Demanded Karai, already trying saw one of the steel bars off.

"And why should I do dat?" The leader of The Red Stripes huffed as he moved to stand on the other side of the bars, "I thought ya said our services were no longer needed."

"That message was from The Shredder!" Karai snapped, the need to escape and find her younger brother causing her temper to flair, "Help me remove this bar."

"Depends, what's in it for me?" Asked Raphael, "I'll help ya escape if ya swear on yar honour to do something for me in the future."

Karai opened here mouth to decline his offer but stopped before anything came out. She realised that she had no option. If she stayed here, The Foot Clan would attack her brother and she didn't want to think about how that might end up. If she took Raphael's offer, she'd just owe him a favour and after all, whatever he wanted her to do, it couldn't be any worse than what she was forced to do for The Foot Clan.

"Fine." Karai reluctantly gave in, "I swear on my honour that I owe you a favour, no matter what it is."

Raphael smirked but kept his side of the promise. However, instead of helping the kunoichi remove the bar, he pulled a key out of the back pocket of his ripped jeans. To Karai's surprise (though she didn't show it) that key unlocked her cell door and was much quicker than her method of removing a bar to force the door open.

"Snagged it out da large guy's pocket when 'e was showing off to some of dose low-level ninjas." Raphael informed her as she exited her prison.

Outside her cell, the first thing Karai spotted was the two Foot soldiers who were supposed to be guarding her cell, slumped and unconscious in a dark corner. She could just make out one of their arms in an awkward position.

Once more Raphael smirked when he spotted Karai admiring his handy work, "Pieces of cake. Neither of dem put up much of a fight and 'ere I was thinking dat The Foot clan should be feared."

"Came on," Karai said as she started sprinting down the corridor which would lead them up to the main building, "I need to find my little brother before they do."

"What's da fuss about?" Raphael questioned quietly, following the brunette around a corner, "'e kick my entire gang's butts and got away with just cuts and bruises. I say 'e 'as nothing to worry about."

"Nothing to worry about!" Karai snapped, "Do you know how many men The Foot clan has? Over one thousand! And that doesn't include the one hundred elite soldiers, Bradford, Xever or The Shredder! Oh, and let's not forget the local street gangs that have deals with The Foot clan!"

"I just followed ya through their headquarters and not one person realised I was there." Pointed out Raphael, "Dey clearly aren' as good as ya thought!"

"Oh, we knew you were there."

Karai and Raphael whipped their heads round to find The Shredders top henchmen, Chris Bradford and Xever Montes, snickering at them.

"We just wanted to make your deaths more interesting." Xever finished Bradford's statement. He took a step forward and threateningly played with his switchblade while his companion unsheathed his katana.

Karai went to do the same with her own sword but cursed under her breath when she found nothing but an empty sheath. It made sense for Bradford or Xever to remove her weapons when they threw her in her cell but Karai really wish that they hadn't.

"What you gonna do now princess?" Xever mocked as he advanced. He swung his knife at the young woman, but she dodged at the last second and delivered a strong punch to Xever's stomach which temporarily stunned him.

Karai went to knee the man in the face but Xever swung his leg out and sent the kunoichi rolling backwards across the ground. She quickly got back to her feet in time to avoid the knife that was thrown at her. Karai risked taking a glance at the other fight that was taking place at the other side of the corridor. It looked like Raphael was able to land a few blows, but Bradford was able to land more and was quickly over powering him.

Karai delivered a strong round house kick that sent Xever flying into Bradford, knocking them both down for a few seconds. In those few seconds, Karai shouted at Raphael, "We need to go _now_!"

"I'm not leaving 'til I show dis idiot who's boss!" Raphael stubbornly shouted back; his punch being blocked by Bradford muscular arms as he got back on his feet.

"Leaving the party already. It was just getting fun!" Xever sneered, grabbing Karai's arm when she took a swing at him. He painfully twisted it round so that she couldn't escape. He leaned in close to her ear, "You betrayed Master Shredder, so this is what you get as a punishment." He pulled hard on the woman's arm and despite the loud noises from the fight between the muscular two, the snapping sound was very much audible.

When Xever released Karai, she collapsed on the floor in agony. Keeping her broken arm close to her body, she tried to push herself up but the fatigue from the fighting and lack of food and water had take its toll on her and she could barely move.

"Hands off!" Karai heard Raphael yell and someone groaning in pain. She felt more than saw someone lifting her off the ground. She pried her eyes open to see lots of smoke.

"You had a smoke bomb this entire time and didn't think to use it?" Slurred Karai. The pain had dulled a bit, but she still didn't have her usual amount of strength, "I can walk myself."

They were outside by now and a few blocks away from The Foot's Headquarters. Raphael lowered his burden to the ground not so gently and held her steady as she stood up, "I stole dem from dose foot noobs."

"Then why didn't you use them when they first discovered us?"

"I'm tougher den dem." Raphael announced while he slowly followed Karai as she stumbled down the street, "Do ya even know where ya going?"

Karai had to use a wall for support for a second before she continued her gradual journey, "No, but I won't give up till I find him."

"Stubborn girl."

"Moron."

* * *

"You're supposed to be dead…" Leo numbly mumbled, relaxing his defensive stance.

Standing in front of him was a stunning young woman with beautiful brown hair. His sapphire blue eyes met her amber ones. The exact same amber eyes that were there to comfort him when he had a nightmare, the same eyes that would watch him while he trained, the same eyes his sister shared with their mother.

"Leonardo…" Breathed Karai, taking a few hesitant steps forward.

"Miwa…"

There was silence for a few minutes, the long-lost siblings staring in shock at each other before the spoke in unison, "They said you were dead."

Karai and Leo gave in and let out a few chuckles at the unintentional habit they picked up not long after Leo had started to talk. They had always found it strange that they would talk in unison. Normally, people associated twins with that sort of thing but with only a year separating the two, several people who weren't close to the small family, could (and quite frequently would) mistake them for twins as they grew up together.

"How… How did you survive? I watched the roof collapse on top of you. There's no way someone could have survived that." Absently asked Leo, offering his injured sister a hand which she stubbornly declined.

"I'm fine." Karai insisted as she hobbled towards the rooftop door, "I'll explain tomorrow Leo, right now we need to get out of sight."

Leo raised an eyebrow in confusion and was about to ask why when someone harshly shaved him from behind. He stumbled a few steps, internally scolding himself for dropping his guard like that. A hand that had clearly be used in hand to hand combat recently grabbed his upper arm and dragged him towards the open doorway.

He protested, "Hey!" but allowed the guy to move him, sensing no danger from the stranger.

Raphael released Leo's biceps to thrust him through the doorway, "Move it Blue Boy!"

"I don't even know you red… gangster… guy."

"Leo dude," Mikey smiled as he skipped down the corridor, having come out of his apartment when he heard people coming, "Leave the nicknames to the professionals because that was lame."

"Well, this guy has the decency to think he can push me around." Leo glared at Raph who was already glaring at him.

The two continued to glare at each other. Leo only broke eye contact when he got the sinking feeling that he had met this guy before. It was Mikey's happy squeak that confirmed his suspicions.

"You're that guy that saved me from being hit by that car."

"And the leader of The Red Strips." Leo pointed out. He had spotted the large bruise on the side of Raphael's face which he caused with his roundhouse kick.

"Well I also saved ya sister!" Raph prodded Leo in the chest, getting in his face.

Leo swiped the finger away, "That doesn't make up for what you did to Donnie. You could have killed him!"

"Well, I didn'!" Raphael defended himself, "I risked my life to save ya pathetic sister and all ya do to thank me is to shout at me!"

Karai, having wondered back to where the group had stopped, piped in with her own side of the argument, "It was your decision to help me! You could have just as easily walked away and left me there to rot! It was your choice!"

"So all ya begging for me to 'elp ya escape was fake!" Raphael turned his anger towards the young woman he had just rescued.

With the long-lost urge to protect an injured family member, Leo stepped between Karai and Raphael, "Leave my sister out of this! You brought this upon yourself, you heartless mon-"

"SHUT UP!"

The group glanced at Michelangelo who had been silent throughout the argument. His baby blue eyes were wide and watery. He held his hands tightly over his ears as he breathed heavily. In a quieter voice, Mikey begged, "Pleases just… just stop arguing."

"Mikey…" Mikey stepped back when Leo tried to place his hand on Mikey's shoulder.

Hating the confused and hurt eyes watching him, Mikey dashed away and disappeared back to his apartment.

"Whatever…" Raph was the first to speak, "I'm out of 'ere."

Leo waited to make sure the gang leader had disappeared up the rooftop stairs before he guided his long-lost sister to their apartment. He needed his sleep after the events of the day.

* * *

Back on the rooftops, someone watched as the group had disappeared inside. He used his walkie talkie to report back to his Master.

"I've got him in my sights Master Shredder."

" _Good."_ Came The Shredders reply, _"You know what to do."_


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT, only my OC's**

* * *

What I Never Told You

The importance of family

"Just stick it in a sling and give me some pain killers."

"No, I need to take you to the hospital to get it x-rayed. It could be more serious than you think and the longer you leave it, the more serious it could get."

"I'm fine."

"Your arms broken; you are clearly not fine."

Hamato Yoshi could hear the hushed argument from his bedroom where he was meditating. He recognised his sons concerned voice, but the other voice sounded… feminine? The father knew Leo had befriended their neighbour Michelangelo and Donatello, the son of a famous businessman. He had met both and even Michelangelo's high-pitched voice did not sound anything like this.

"You worry too much!"

"You don't worry enough!"

Sighing, Yoshi left the peaceful sanctuary of his room to go find out what trouble his only son had gotten into this time. When he open his door, he did not expect to become face to face with a younger version of his late wife.

"Miwa…" Yoshi's knees weakened as he tried to comprehend how is supposedly dead daughter was standing right in front of him.

"Father…" Karai whispered, unsure whether to hug the man she had not seen in 9 years.

Father and daughter stood there staring at each other for several minutes as they comprehended who they were seeing. Leo, feeling slightly awkward, thought he'd intervein and get this meeting moving. He gently shoved his older sister who took the hint and sauntered into the open arms of her father. Hamato Yoshi, still in shock, wrapped his arms around Karai's slim body and held her close. Without opening his eyes, Yoshi reached out and grabbed his sons arm to pull him into the family hug.

* * *

On the rooftop of the apartment building, Raphael was stomping around in circles, letting his frustrations out on anything that he could. Punching a wall with the side of his fist, Raph mumbled, "Shoulda just let 'er rot in dat cell. Ungrateful lady, ungrateful boy, ungrateful family."

"The Hamato's aren't bad." A small voice spoke. When Raphael turned around, he saw a platinum blond haired boy stood there. Mikey fiddled with his hands as he continued to speak, "Leo never told me he had… has a sister and he does like talking about his mother. There are no family pictures in their apartments." Mikey gave the gang member a small smile, "But I do know Leo loves his family."

Raphael raised an eyebrow, "And let me guess, you think his sister is the same. Well she is not! She is stubborn and manipulative and-"

"Feisty." Mikey finished, "Leo can get that way sometimes, especially when it comes to his friends and family."

"Oh really?" Raphael scoffed as he stared out over the city of New York. The sky was a beautiful shade of orange, though Raph didn't care about that, he just enjoyed the feeling of being the one on top, "It must run in de family."

Mikey defended his currently absent friend once he was perched on the edge of the roof near Raphael, "It's just what a family does. If one member is down, the rest of the family is there it pick them up and get them back on their feet. Granny Jo has always been there for me. When Dad died, Granny helped Mum to take care of me until she was emotionaly stable and even after that, she was constantly babysitting me or doing the shopping when Mum was too busy."

"After Mum… After Mum's death, Granny took me in and… and…" The young blond took a deep breath before he continued explaining, "She was just as miserable as I was, but she still put my needs first. That's what family does."

Looking away when Mikey wiped his teary baby blue eyes, Raph's emerald green eyes softened. He felt sorry for the boy he'd recently met.

"I know Leo would protect me with his life- he's proven that already- and I would do the same to little Sarah Jane." Mikey added, a small smile being directed at Raph, "We're not related by blood, but they are still my family."

Raph groaned, "Family is stupid."

"Woah, where did that come from?"

"Just saying." Raph replied, "Not everyone has a family like yours. Mine wanted nothing to do with 'e."

Losing his smile, Mikey said, "That can't be tr-"

"My parents left and never returned!" Raphael snapped, an inner fire burning in his eyes, "Dey said dey would but dey didn't!"

Mikey tried to reason with the angered gang leader, "Maybe they were-"

"Delayed, stuck, lost, trapped! I waited a _month_ for dem idiots to return before de Purple Dragons found me!" Loudly clarified Raph, "I don't need a family! Family just makes ya weak!"

Finishing his angry outburst, Raphael stomped across the roof and leapt across to the next, and then the next until he could no longer see the apartment building. He muttered, "Not all of us are as lucky as ya…"

* * *

Back on the rooftop, Mikey watched the speck of black and red disappear with sadness. He turned and left once the gang leader had fully vanished from sight, just missing sight of a muscular man stealthily sneaking across the rooftops.

* * *

Leo sat up from where he had dozed off on the couch. His older sister and father were still peacefully sleeping, snuggled together at the other end of the couch. Using the stealth he had been taught since he first learned to walk, Leo made his way to the bathroom to prepare for the day.

When Leo re-entered the main room, he was hit with the strong smell of bacon and eggs, "Something smells nice." He commented as he took a seat at the island, "I guess Miwa's not cooking then."

"Very funny Leo." Karai sarcastically joked, placing two plates on the island, "And for the record, I am now a decent cook, thank you."

"Says the girl who forgot to remove the shiny wrapper on the butter before she put it in the microwave." Reminded Leo while he ate his delicious breakfast.

Karai smirked, "Anata to anata no koto o wasuremashita ka?"

As Yoshi sat on one of the empty stools around the island, he chuckled at his children's conversation and pointed out, "Neither of you inherited your mothers' culinary skills."

"That's obvious." The two siblings said in unison, sending each other annoyed glares afterwards, "We need to stop doing this."

For a few minutes, the Hamato apartment was silent except for the sounds of the occupants eating. Yoshi disappeared into his room to meditate once they had finished while Karai showered and Leo washed the dishes.

Leo felt his phone vibrate in his back pocket as he placed the last plate on the draining board. He dried his hands on a nearby towel before answering the video call.

"Ohayōgozaimasu." Greeted Leo.

"Ohayōgozaimasu." Repeated Daiki, smiling at his childhood friend.

Sticking his head on the screen, a white-haired teenager greeted Leo, "It is good to see you again Leonardo-San."

"It's good to see you to Usagi-San. How have you been? The last time I got to speak to you was when you came to say goodbye." The Japanese teenager in America plopped down on the couch and got comfortable.

"Not much has happened since your departure. I-" Usagi was cut off by Daiki nudging him out the frame.

"Leo! Leo! Guess what?" Leo's best friend excitedly asked. He didn't leave anytime for Leo to actually answer before he spoke again, "I got my braces off! Look!" Daiki moved his lips out the way to show his now straight and braces free teeth.

Leo let out a quite giggle at Usagi scolding the younger teen, "Daiki Murakami, stop showing Leonardo your teeth and let us talk."

Through the phone, Leo watched as Usagi stole the phone and was walking away while he spoke, "Like I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, I have almost completed my samurai training."

"Omedetō!" Leo happily replied as Miwa perched next to him on the couch, still drying her wet hair, "As much as I enjoy talking to you two, I need to go."

"Call us back soon Raion." Demanded Daiki,

"Wait a second," Usagi said just before Leo or Daiki could hang up, "Who is that woman next to you?"

"Yer, who is she Raion?" Question Daiki, "Did you finally find yourself a girlfriend?"

Karai leaned into the videos frame and smugly said, "Nope, I'm the ghost of his dead sister. Sayōnara."

Anything the teenagers in Japan were going to say was prevented by Karai ending the video chat.

"Was that necessary?" Leo inquired while he pocketed his smartphone.

"Yes." Was all Karai replied with.

* * *

The only son of the famous businessman Mr Carpenter sat at his desk in his quiet bedroom. Donatello scribbled down another annotation on his sketch. He had been coming up with ways to build fully functional smoke bombs or pellets that could be activated in seconds and last long enough for the user to escape but not long enough to draw too much unwanted attention.

Feeling the feminine arms of his twin wrap around his shoulders, Don placed his pen down and leaned back into his comfy desk chair, "You finished you piano lesson already or are you as ready to get out of here as I am?"

Reni childishly chuckled, "You do remember that you are grounded until further notice, right? If Father sees that you have snuck out again, he will bar up your windows, lock your door and remove all the furniture to make you pay."

"I wish you were exaggerating." Mumbled Don, slotting his newest designs and formulas into one of his folders. He pushed the folder back onto the lowest shelf above his desk, "Knowing father, that is under exaggerated."

Don grabbed his high-tech smartphone that he had modified and smiled at the selfie Mikey had sent him. The blond was helping his Granny babysit Sarah Jane York again and had taken the selfie with her as they pulled funny faces.

"You were right about her being adorable, Donnie." Reni commented as she peered at the photo from over her twin brother's shoulder, "Good thing I was the twin that inherited the good looks unlike my dorky little brother."

Don protested while he stood up to be face to face with the girl, "Hey! We both inherited fathers' appearance and smartness."

"But I'm still the one going to med school before I even turn 16. I'd say that's a family record." Reni reminded.

"Seeing that its our 15th birthday next month and mother was already attending med school by her 15th birthday, I have to disagree with you on that dear sister." Smugly smiled Don. He send a text to Mikey informing him why he couldn't hang with them no matter how many messages Mikey sent him asking Don to.

Reni giggled and hugged her twin brother, "We're a small family of over achievers."

* * *

Sarah Jane York held Mikey and Joan's hands as she skipped down the street happily babbling with the blond boy and his grandma, "That was when mummy told him off and threw a pillow at him."

"Your mummy still mad at your daddy?" Asked Joan as they rounded the corner to where the teens hangout was.

"Daddy said sorry." Sarah innocently smiled, releasing her babysitters' hands to run ahead. She climbed on one of the swing seats and loudly giggled as Mikey gently pushed her. Mikey made sure to not go too high as Sarah was only little and he didn't want her to fall off and hurt herself again.

The first time the Davis' had brought Sarah (just turned 2 at the time) to the Hangout, Mikey insisted on taking the girl on the swing but because there were no baby seats, Sarah had to hold on tight. Mikey didn't push too hard, but it was enough for little Sarah to lose her grip and fell off backwards. Thankfully, Sarah wasn't harmed badly, though Mikey has been much more carefully since them.

"Higher Mikey! Higher!" Encouraged Sarah, still giggling as Mikey pushed the swing just a tiny bit higher, "I'm flying! Look at me JoJo, I'm flying!"

Joan sat smiling on the bench as the two children played on the swings, waving as the girl called out to her. Sarah had always called Joan, JoJo even after she had corrected her many times. Every time the elderly woman heard that nickname, a wave of sadness washed through her as she remembered the only other person who had call her that- her late daughter.

"Hold on tight sweetie." Joan reminded.

"I am! I am! I am!" Squealed the 4-year-old girl, her short legs swinging wildly as she was pushed into the air by Mikey, " _Wwwwweeeeeeeeeee!_ "

Laughing, Mikey snatched the girl off the swing as it came back down. He held her in his arms and spun in circles which caused Sarah to laugh louder and Joan to chuckle behind her wrinkly hand, "You're super strong Nugget!"

* * *

Leo lead the way down the street towards the Hangout. He and Mikey had gone there several times and by now and Leo had learned the route off by heart. He wanted his recently returned sister to have a chance to get out of the house. Miwa hadn't even been with them 24 hours yet and she was already complaining about being cooped up in the small apartment. According to their father, Leo had unknowingly complained about the same thing several times since they moved to the Big Apple.

Yoshi had to smile as he watched his son and daughter half-heartily bicker over something he couldn't quite figure out. The father hadn't- as Michelangelo called it- hung out with son, and most certainly not his daughter, in several years so when Leo invited Miwa to go the Hang out, Yoshi wanted to tag along.

"Hanging up on my friends for me was sort of mean." Explained Leo, "Daiki won't stop texting me now. He's completely obsessed on trying to find out who my non-existent girlfriend is."

Smirking, Karai replied, "Well it's not my fault that your friends are all idiots."

"Donatello's IQ is through the roof." Leo pointed out as they strolled around the corner.

"That doesn't mean… he… What on earth happened?"

Leo stopped mid step when he saw what his sister had. Lying near the swing set was an unconscious Michelangelo. On the other side of the park was Joan who was just as unresponsive as her grandson.

The yellow bow clutched in her wrinkly hand was the only sign of the little girl that had been with them only minutes ago.

* * *

 **Translations (from Google Translate):**

 **Anata to anata no koto o wasuremashita ka? - Did you forget about you and toasters?**

 **Ohayōgozaimasu – Good morning**

 **Omedetō – Congratulations**

 **Raion – Lion**

 **Sayōnara - Goodbye**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own TMNT but I do own my OCs**

* * *

What I Never Told You

Kazoku means family

Raphael made it back to his gangs Manhattan headquarters slower than usual. He made a mental note to that he needed to improve his stamina and made a side note to get the rest of The Red Stripes involved as well. When he entered the warehouse, he found it oddly quiet. Scratch that, it was silent.

And unless they were out hunting, The Red Stripes are _never_ quiet.

"Ya know ya can't sneak up on me." Raphael called out into the darkness of the building, "Ya failed every time ya tried before."

Wandering further into the darkness, Raph flicked on the dim lights to get a proper look around, "Anybody here?" he asked when he couldn't see any of his gang members, "I know ya here so come out."

Not getting any responses, Raph pried one of the wooden boards off the window, allowing the midday sun the pour in. Raph grumbled to himself as he examined the dojo, "I spend a few 'ours observing de city and my entire gang vanishes."

He picked up a half empty beer bottle, "And dey have no respect for de rules I see."

Keeping his eyes and ears open, Raph wondered into the small backroom that the gang had dubbed "the personal room". Any personal possessions the members had were placed in cardboard boxes or bags and stored in this room for safe keeping.

At least they were supposed to be.

The backroom had had been cleaned out. The boxes and bags of items were gone and the piles of new clothes that they were permanently borrowing from several stores were missing as well.

Raph picked up the only remaining box in the room. Wiping of the thin layer of dust that had gathered on the top of the miniature cardboard box, Raphael opened the flaps after using his pocketknife to cut the duct tape that had been keeping the treasures inside safe for the past 7 years.

* * *

Donatello Carpenter admired the stunning skyscrapers as he and his twin sister (accompanied by their loyal bodyguard, Klay Lancaster) strolled around New York City. Don linked arms with Reni as he pointed out C-Tech's headquarters in the distance, shimmering in the midday spring sun.

"New York City never seems to stop amazing me." Reni commented, pulling her light brown hair back into a ponytail because the breeze kept blowing the fine strands in to her face, "The buildings may never change, and the people are always hurrying about, but the sky and the flora seem to change constantly."

"You'll defiantly enjoy New England then." Smiled Donnie as they re-linked arms. The genius 14-year-old boy silently monitored the random people walking around the city on this beautiful sunny day.

Feeling the warmth from the sun, Don suggested, "Why don't we head to central park, it's the perfect weather for a relaxing walk."

"Or…" Reni pointed out a small group of people up ahead, "We could go join your Japanese friend. That is him, isn't it?"

Recognising the middle-aged man and the young woman as Leo's father and sister who he'd met the night before and Leo, Don prepared to call out to them but was silenced by Lancaster before he could.

"A quick stroll around the neighbourhood was all your father allowed you to do," Lancaster sternly reminded the twins, "and you have already gone further than that boundary. Young Master, you are still grounded so meeting with friends is most certainly not allowed."

"But I'm not!" Yelled Reni as she dashed away.

Lancaster loudly called after her, "Young Mistress, get back here!" but Serenity either didn't hear him or she just didn't care. Facepalming, the bodyguard with more than a decade of experience mumbled, "She only ever acts like this when you're around."

"What can I say? I'm an inspiration." Don chuckled as he dashed after his sister and friend who had vanished around a corner. He knew Lancaster was following him, it was his job after all, but he didn't realise just how fast the old man was until he stopped at the corner and Lancaster slightly bumped into him as he too stopped in shock.

Shaking off his shock, Lancaster ran into the Hangout and helped Reni checking over the elderly woman. He knelt next to her still body (avoiding the crimson puddling around her) and rolled her over so that the woman was lying on her back. Reni quickly got to work examining the elderly woman.

Serenity had taken after her late mother and fell in love with medicine at an early age. Over the years she had taken several first aid courses and she had done plenty of research on how to treat injuries. Serenity never expected to use those skills until after med school.

"It looks like someone stabbed her in the abdomen." Reni informed the others while she removed her cardigan, scrunched it up and applied pressure to the wound, "It's not deep but we need to get her to a hospital fast."

"Ambulance is on its way." Informed Yoshi as he knelt next to his son who was checking Mikey for any serious wounds, "How is he my son?"

"It looks like he just received a few blows to his arms and core. The worst of it seems to be the bump to the head." Leo said as he carefully lifted the blonds head to rest on his lap.

Lancaster used the muscle he'd gained over the years to keep pressure on Joan's wound so that Serenity could go over to Mikey. Reni gave him a quick one over and agreed with the Japanese teenager, "It seems that way but there may be internal damage we can't detect and the fact that he hasn't woken up yet worries me."

"Are you thinking a possible head injury?" Asked Yoshi.

Reni replied while lightly but thoroughly feeling Michelangelo's head, "It's beginning to look that way." She then gently rolled the teens head so that she could check for any bruising behind the ear.

With the movement, Mikey let out a sleepy moan before going silent again. To prevent Mikey from drifting off again, Leo softly slapped Mikey's cheek and kept doing it until Mikey's baby blue eyes fluttered open. The 15-year-old smiled at his younger friend, "Okaerinasai Mikey!"

Pushing Leo back so that she could make eye contact with the blond, Reni questioned, "How are you feeling Mikey? Any nausea, dizziness, blurred vision?"

"No." Mikey simply answered, wincing when Reni used her minute pocket torch to examine Mikey's pupils, "Granny?"

Mikey was lightly pushed back to rest on Leo's lap by several pairs of hands when he tried to look at his surroundings. Leo was the one to leave his hand on the side of the teens face as he spoke, "She's a tough woman Mikey, she'll be fine. Let's just focus on you for now."

Caring blue eyes met teary blue eyes as Mikey asked the question that broke everyone's hearts, "And Sarah Jane?"

Don pushed pass the gathered crowd that had gathered on the street with two paramedics following, "She's missing Mikey."

"We'll find her Mikey. We'll find her." Leo promised an upset Mikey, "I swear on my honour we will find her."

* * *

"You did _what?_ " The Shredders booming voice echoed around the Foot Headquarters, "You were hired to bring me Leonardo and instead you brought me some kid!"

"I have been watching these people for a while now and I know the boys weak spot." The hired assassin explained from his kneeled position, "Leonardo cares for the blond-haired teenager, Michelangelo, who adores this girl. Trust me Master Shredder, Leonardo will come straight to us."

"Don't fail me Tiger Claw."

"He'll be bowing to you before you know it Master." Tiger Claw smirked.

* * *

Mikey harshly pushed the gloved clad hands away from him. All he could think about was the tiny red-headed girl who was out there alone, most likely scared out of her young mind.

"I need to find Sarah Jane!" Mikey leapt off the gurney the doctors were transporting him through the hospital on, only to be hit with a wave of vertigo. He stumbled a bit, but two strong arms steadied him before he could fall.

Yoshi guided the teenager back on to the gurney, "Michelangelo, Leonardo and Donatello will keep looking for her but right now you need to take care of yourself."

"I was supposed to protect her." Sadly mumbled Mikey as he reluctantly let the doctors' wheel him into an examination room, "She's been my little sister since I first met her."

Placing his hand on his son's friend's shoulder, Yoshi tried to comfort the worried teenager, "The New York Police Department have put out an Amber alert for Sarah and Leonardo and Donatello won't stop looking until they find her."

"She'll be alright, won't she?"

The tears that trailed down Michelangelo's face broke the ninja master's heart, "They will save her Michelangelo, I know they will." Yoshi stood back to let the doctors get to work after running his long bony fingers through Mikey's wavy blond hair like he had seen Joan do several times.

* * *

"Donnie and I will head west towards the docks then make our way round to come back from the south. Lancaster, you can take the East and North. Serenity and Miwa, the two of you go to the hospital and keep us updated on Mikey and Joan's conditions." Hamato Leonardo ordered, taking control of the situation.

"What! No way!" Miwa argued, "I am not waiting around in some pristinely cleaned white room when I could be out here helping."

"Your arm is still broken Miwa!" Reasoned Leo, gesturing to the young woman's arm which was being supported by a makeshift sling.

"Its fine!" Insisted Miwa as she shoved her brothers' hand away, "I can still kick a-OW!"

Smirking from where she stood next to the Japanese gal, Reni pulled her hand back from poking Miwa's forearm and commanded, "I thought so. You are coming with me to get that check out properly."

Miwa was about to argue with her, but Reni cut her off, "No buts. I'm the one who has the first aid training, so my say is the final say." She addressed Leo next, "I'll send your father out to help with the search. Your sister and I should be able to handle the wounded."

"Good idea. Let's go Donnie."

The gals and Lancaster watched as the two male teens climbed up the fire escape and vanished on the rooftops. Lancaster was the next to leave. He jogged off in his given direction while Serenity dragged Miwa off to New York Presbyterian.

The whole journey to the hospital was in silence with Miwa glaring at Reni and Reni using all her strength to prevent Miwa from going in search of Sarah. With one final tug, a reluctant Miwa was forced into the hospital. After receiving directions from a nurse, the duo made their way to Michelangelo Davis' hospital room.

Upon entering ward for adolescents, they found Yoshi talking to one of the Doctors outside the room. The doctor warmly smiled at the two newcomers before he turned back to Yoshi, "I will keep you updated on Ms. Davis' condition."

"Thank you, Dr Keener." Yoshi shook hands with the emergency medical specialist before greeting the girls, "Come into Michelangelo's room and I will tell you what I know."

The two females followed the ninja master into the room, Miwa stayed standing next to her father while Reni perched on Mikey's bed. The younger female ran her manicured fingers through Mikey's wavy hair as he dozed.

Yoshi took a calming breath before addressing the girls, "Michelangelo will be fine. He has a mild concussion and some bumps and bruises that will heal in time."

"And the elderly woman?" Reni timidly asked.

Taking another calming breath, Yoshi answered, "Joan is still in surgery. According to the doctor, the stab wound nicked the abdominal aorta which is causing some major bleeding. They are doing a blood transfusion to replace the blood she has lost but even with that…" Yoshi hesitated for a second, "Even with the transfusion, she will still be in critical condition."

"Once they stop the bleeding, she should start the healing process. Barring any complications that is." Shrugged Reni, still fiddling with Mikey's hair.

Serenity had always played with her twin's shoulder length hair when she had something serious to think about. It was just a habit Donnie had learnt to put up with. Mikey's blonde hair was only slightly shorter than Don's and the fact that he was sleeping, made it perfect for Reni to fiddle with while her brain processed the situation.

Wrapping his arm around his recently returned daughter, Yoshi sadly watched Mikey sleeping, "I lost my wife and father in a fire. In the same fire I almost lost both of my children, one which I've only just gotten the pleasure of being reunited with. Losing someone close is something we all hate and for Michelangelo's sake, I hope that Joan-san survives this."

* * *

Donatello double checked the map of New York City he had downloaded on his phone before informing Leonardo, "There is an abandoned block of flats just up a head. It would be a great place for someone to hide a young girl. The other buildings around here are known to be used by families with young children so the neighbours wouldn't be suspicious of seeing a man or woman walking around with a kid."

"Even an unconscious one?" Quietly questioned Leo as he jumped down the fire escape and climbed into one of the broken windows.

Don shrugged, following his friend into the abandoned apartment, "If they had seen her, they probably just thought she was sleeping. Anyway Leo, most people would be at work or out enjoying the weekend. Chances are no one is home to have witnessed anything if Sarah had been brought here."

Silently opening the creaky wooden door, Leo lead the way around the building, checking every room quickly but thoroughly. They went from floor to floor, apartment to apartment, room to room.

There was no sign of the little girl anywhere.

"Are there any other abandoned or empty buildings nearby that they could have used instead?" Leo asked after he snatched Don's smart phone out of the brunette's pocket, bringing up the digital map of NYC, "Could the N-han have taken her more west and used one of the old warehouses near the docks?"

"That's a possibility but New York has tons of abandoned buildings the abductors could be hiding in." Reasoned Don as he took his phone back, "We will keep heading in that direction."

Running, Leo and Don went out through the front doors and headed down the street this time rather than climbing back up the fire escape to travel along the rooftops. They made it to the docks and checked the first warehouse which turned up empty. The second had the same results as did the third. The fourth, however, seemed to have been recently used.

Leonardo crept into the fourth warehouse, keeping his back close to the wall. Don followed him closely, mimicking the moves Leo did to move stealthily through the building. It took their eyes a while to adjust from the midday sunlight from outside to the pitch black of the warehouse.

The fainted sound of footsteps had Leo suddenly stopping. Reaching down, he picked up a metal pipe that was partly hidden behind some stacked boxes. Don followed suit and picked up the first thing he found which could be used as a weapon- a broken broom. The two of them held their makeshift weapons and stealthily snuck up to the door that the footstep had come from. Leo put his ear to the door and could just hear someone breathing behind it.

Leo leapt away from the door as it flew open and someone came running out. The trained ninja held the pipe up ready to defend himself but ended up not needing to as the shadowy figure collapsed on the ground. Leonardo looked behind where the figure had been standing to see Don sheepishly smiling, still holding the broom where he had just struck the figure around the head.

Reaching down, Leo rolled the muscular person over. A pair of angry emerald eyes glared at him before the person swing his fist at Leo's face. Leo dodged and brought the pipe down, only to have it blocked by a wooden stick.

"Raphael," Donnie spoke, remembering what Mikey had told him about the gang leader. Cautiously he removed the broom from between the two fighters, "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask ya the same thing. Dis is my gang's hideout while we are 'ere." Raph explained while he clambered to his feet, swatting away Leo's offered hand, "I came back to get 'em but as ya can see, they ain't 'ere."

"I guess they finally got sick of your temper tantrums." Snarked Leo.

"Zip it Blue Boy unless you want ya head popped like a balloon!"

"I'd like to see you try Meat Head!"

Leonardo and Raphael had leaned in so close that their foreheads were touching, intensely glaring at each other.

Sapphire vs emerald.

Skinny arms forced their way between the two and struggled to push them apart, "ENOUGH!" Don yelled as he finally separated the two, "We have more important things to worry about at the moment than comparing strength. Time is of the essence Leo."

Leo nodded, "You're right. We can't get distracted until that little girl is safely back with her parents."

Not even looking at Raph, Leo left with Donnie jogging after him. Once they had gotten back outside, Donnie grabbed Leo, making him stop in his tracks.

"I think we should ask Raph to help."

"Are you crazy?" Angrily whispered Leo, "He's the leader of one of the deadliest gangs in New York and did you forget that he tried to kill you."

"He wasn't going to kill me!" Don argued back, "And did you forget that he also risked his life to save _your_ sister. That should count for something."

"Well it doesn't!" Snapped Leo, invisible flames in his sapphire blue eyes, "And you need to start seeing who he actually is. He makes a living by stealing and attacking people. He _cannot_ be trusted to find an already terrified child. For all we know he could be in on it."

Don stood tall and used his few extra inches to look down on the Japanese teen, "Your wrong!" He retaliated, "We have had the privilege to grow up with luxuries and not having to worry about putting food on our plates or keeping a roof over our heads. Raph most likely didn't have those luxuries."

After taking a deep, calming breath, Don continued, "Mikey told me that when he was talking to Raph, Raph mentioned something about his family not wanting anything to do him. The Red Strips is the probably the closest thing he has ever had to a family. I'm going to go back in there and ask for help because right now, the more people looking, the better our chances of finding Sarah will be."

When Don turned and ran back into the abandoned warehouse, Leo stood there speechless with a single thought going through his mind.

Could he have been so wrong about Raphael?

* * *

Meanwhile, in an unknown location in New York City, Tiger Claw roughly pushed the unconscious 4-year-old onto a creaky wooden chair. He tied rope around her mid-section and around the back of the chair to make sure she couldn't escape when she awoke.

"Your certain that Leonardo is going to come for her?" Chris Bradford question as he finished securing the building.

Smirking behind his pale blue scarf, Tiger Claw confirmed, "Positive. That boy has too much honour to not save his friends honorary little sister. He'll come."

"And if he doesn't?"

Tracing the girl's face with the side of his sword, he replied, "Then I get to have some fun!"

* * *

 **Translations:**

 **Kazoku- Family**

 **Okaerinasai- Welcome back**

 **N-han- Kidnapper**


End file.
